Airlines Boost Seat Capacity on Spain Flights by 15% This Winter – AENA, Reuters

MADRID (Reuters) – Aena, the Spanish airport operator, announced on Monday that airlines have increased their seat capacity by 15% for flights to and from Spain this winter compared to last year.

This winter season, which spans from October to March, carriers have booked a total of 126.6 million seats, surpassing even the pre-pandemic levels of 2019, according to Aena’s statement.

Since the lifting of pandemic restrictions last year, leisure travel has seen significant growth, despite pressures on household budgets from high inflation and rising interest rates.

From April to September, passenger numbers at Spanish airports reached approximately 163 million, which is a 1.2% increase over 2019 figures, based on industry data.

Javier Gandara, head of Spain’s Airlines Association, mentioned two weeks ago that airlines anticipated a 13% increase in supply compared to 2019.

The robust recovery in tourism has been driven by travelers from cooler regions seeking warmer destinations in southern Europe. However, traffic to other European countries, where business travel is a larger segment, remains slightly below the levels seen before the pandemic.