airlines They predict a new air travel record for the summer season in Spain. President of the Airline Association (ALA), Javier Gandaraclarified that companies planned to operate 240 million seats during the summer, which is 13.5% more than in the summer of 2023.

Everything will depend on occupancy, that is, how many of these seats are ultimately used by passengers. This parameter has recovered to pre-pandemic levels of about 87%. And despite the uncertainty and inflationary tensions that continue to impact the macroeconomic context, airlines are optimistic. “There is talk that flying is very expensive, but this does not affect demand,” concluded Gándara.

They are supported by the results of the winter season, as a result of which more than 100 million passengers were transported. 13% more than in winter 2023.. As Gándara emphasized, the average flight size and occupancy rate are getting larger, “which means greater efficiency.” A total of 758,000 flights were operated throughout Spain, an increase of 9% on the previous year.

By markets, domesticated – which has been a leader in the fight against the pandemic – was up 8% from the previous year. Of course, the biggest growth is in traffic. intra-European And Internationalwith an increase of 16% and 15% respectively.

In Spain, supply recovery is occurring more evenly than in previous years, where the Canary and Balearic archipelagos stood out the most, Gándara said. Now “almost all regions are at the 2019 level or higher,” he clarified.

On the eve of summer, supply is also evenly distributed throughout the geography. In an Aeroport Barcelona-El Prat Just over 41 million seats are planned for summer, up 16% from 2023. In Madrid-Barajas, 48 ​​million places are planned, an increase of 15.2%.

With all these forecasts, airlines are warning of the need to manage airspace as efficiently as possible. As Gandara recalled, 2023 was the worst year in terms of impact strikes in France on flights crossing this country and heading to Spain. For this reason, they demand that the French government guarantee these flights.

In anticipation of summer, domestic flights will be concentrated in coastal destinations. As for traveling abroad, destinations such as Italy, Greece or state Joined like all of Latin America, they are the most in demand. Gandara also clarified that the markets that have increased the number of programs the most are the two that have lagged the most so far. Kingdom United And Germany.