Iberia, Air Europa, Vueling, Ryanair and the rest of the airlines have offered 240 million seats in Spain for this summer, 13.5% more compared to what was operated in the same period of 2023. Expectations are historic due to the arrival in masses of tourists to all parts of the country. The airports that stand out for the growth in scheduled flights are Barcelona and Madrid.
In this upcoming high season, in El Prat airlines have offered 41.2 million seats, 16% more compared to the same period last year. In Barajas, for its part, 48.1 million seats have been scheduled, 15.2% more. The novelty, Javier Gándara, president of the Association of Airlines (ALA), pointed out this Tuesday, is that the facilities that stand out the most in terms of planned supply are Barcelona and Madrid, when until now and after the pandemic the airports that have grown the most had been those of the Canary Islands and the Balearic Islands. The expected passengers on the islands for this summer are 34.9 million in the case of the Canary Islands, 14.1% more than in 2023, and 46.6 million in the Balearic Islands, 11.5% more than a year ago.
The president of the airline employers' association has regretted the blockade of the expansion of the El Prat airport. “We want the problems of El Prat to be solved for the coming years,” he assured. In relation to the Generalitat's proposal to expand flight capacity this summer by changing the direction of takeoff and landing of airplanes, Gándara has described the measure as a "patch" and has demanded a "structural solution" for a problem that is taking Catalan facilities to the limit of their capacity. “When there are atmospheric or controller problems in France, delays accumulate,” he noted. The forecast is that Barcelona will reach up to 55 million travelers this year.
El Prat airport is the main airport affected by the strikes by French controllers, which have already affected flights to and from Barcelona. The airline employers assure that these stoppages are one of the risk factors for the business of companies operating in Spain. 70% of El Prat flights travel through French airspace. During 2023, these protests have caused almost 1.5 million minutes of delays for airlines.
“Spain is, after France, the country most affected by these strikes,” Gándara pointed out. Specifically, the stoppages in French air control affected almost 4% of flights in Spain, almost 86,000 operations. Airlines have asked the European Commission to require France to shield flights that cross French airspace to “protect passengers.”
The airlines maintain their historic demand that Spain oppose and be able to modulate a possible European tax on kerosene. “We want to achieve the strongest possible Government position by taking advantage of the European elections,” stated the president of the employers' association. They have also positioned themselves again against the limitation on short flights that is contemplated in the coalition agreement between the PSOE and Sumar.
