Cerler will start the ski season without the Benasque cable car. The installation has been finished since May, and in August the town council approved its fares with a December opening in mind, timed with the start of the ski season. That date no longer holds: the mayor, Manuel Mora, now admits that opening in December will be difficult, and the aim is for it to run at some point during the 2026-2027 winter, with no set date.
What’s still missing
The construction is done; what’s pending is getting the service running. At an extraordinary plenary session in early October, the council gave final approval to the public cable transport service and to the process for hiring the company that will operate it. That contract still has to be put out to tender and awarded, and the administrative deadlines don’t allow it to be ready by late November.
For the first two years the cable car will run under a services contract, to gather real data on usage and costs before a long-term concession is considered. The council puts the running cost at around €900,000 a year and estimates it would take some 175,000 passengers a year to cover it, which is why it’s seeking support from the Government of Aragón for a possible deficit.
There are also complementary works still to do, including two car parks and a new bridge over the Remáscaro ravine, valued at close to €1.5 million. And the court case against the project’s approval remains open: the SOS Ribagorza association is asking that no new financial commitments be made until there is a final ruling.
No lift-pass deal or fixed timetable yet
The cable car isn’t included in the Cerler lift pass. According to the council, how it works alongside Aramón’s ski resort will have to be set out in the operating contract, so for now it isn’t known whether a single pass will cover both.
The fares approved in August still stand: €3.75 a ride, €7.50 a day and €75 for the season, with a reduced fare for under-12s and over-65s. The planned hours are 8:30 to 17:30 in winter, with some weekends and holidays until 22:00, and 9:30 to 18:30 in summer, though these may still change.
What it means if you’re coming to ski
At least at the start of the season, you get up to Cerler the usual way: by road, in your own car, parking at the resort. Bear that in mind if you’re choosing somewhere to stay in Benasque with the idea of reaching the slopes without a car. Our Cerler skiing guide has the season dates and season-pass prices, and we’ll update it as soon as there’s a date for the cable car.
With additional reporting from Lugares de Nieve and Heraldo de Aragón.