Airlines are preparing to close a year of historic figures. It had never flown as much as this summer, when 163 million passengers took a plane from or to a Spanish airport. This figure represents a 1.2% increase in occupied seats compared to the 2019 records, before the pandemic.
The trend is even more optimistic for winter. Between October and March 2024 the companies have launched an offer of 127 million seats, 12.8% more than in the same winter season, in which it operated normally, that of 2018 to 2019, according to the estimates from the Airline Association, ALA, announced yesterday. The forecast is an unprecedented movement of 174,000 travelers per day on average.
The growth in seats put up for sale is mainly due to the success of the Canary Islands as a tourist destination. Airlines plan to offer 29.8 million seats in the islands this winter season, which has already begun, mainly in Tenerife and Gran Canaria. It represents a growth of 24.1% compared to the data for the same period in 2018. At Andalusia's airports, it is also expected that 20.4% more travelers will land or take off there than five years ago, up to to 14 million.
The airlines also anticipate that the country's two largest airports, Madrid and Barcelona, will experience passenger growth, but less so. Specifically, the companies have proposed an offer of 31 million seats in Barajas, 7.6% more than in 2018, and 23.8 million seats in El Prat, 6.8% more than five years ago.
Regarding flights operated during the summer season, between April and September, all the sending markets have already recovered their pre-pandemic levels, except for two: the United Kingdom, with a passenger decline of by 2.6% compared to the same period in 2019, and Germany, whose visitors by air fell by 11.5%.
The president of the employers' association of the air sector, Javier Gándara, highlighted yesterday that the average occupancy of the flights has also recovered and already stands in the first nine months of the year at 87% of the plane. In 2019 it was 85%.
These are record figures, but the airline sector prefers to speak of "moderate optimism" due to the geopolitical and economic uncertainties that cloud the horizon.
There are two major threats that lurk on the aviation horizon. First, the strikes in France, where airspace has been restricted for 60 days this year. These stoppages affect all overflights and, therefore, lead to the diversion of routes from or to Spain.
Secondly, the conflict in the Middle East. Although air routes with Israel represent only 0.2% of Spanish traffic, the hostilities in the area could put upward pressure on the price of oil and cause a further increase in the price of fuel. The main Spanish airlines, such as those of the IAG group or Air Europa, work, however, with supply contracts that include hedging policies to avoid short-term price volatility, the sector pointed out.
On the other hand, the airlines again insisted yesterday that the future Spanish Government decide against a tax on kerosene on a European scale. According to a report by the consulting firm Deloitte, a tax on the fuel that is used most in aviation at the moment would particularly harm the countries of southern Europe. In Spain alone, according to this study, it would cause the loss of more than 4.5 million tourists in 2030.
When he was asked about the conflict between Iberia and Aena over the handling licenses (assistance to planes and passengers on the ground) that the Spanish flag airline, including El Prat, has lost, the president of the employer affirmed that "each airline you will have to negotiate with your suppliers or self-handling". He added that he hopes "that conflict situations do not occur and that the transition is as orderly as possible".
