International air passenger numbers rise by 18.1% in February to more than 6 million

Passengers in an airport

In Hereu's opinion, "anything that indicates growth in absolute figures is good news; news to which we must also add other variables such as the quality and modernity of our destinations, which are increasingly appreciated, and which place us at the head of international tourists' preferences".

The month of February maintained the positive trend of the beginning of the year, experiencing a significant increase in international air passengers, which grew by 18.1% year-on-year to reach 6.3 million, according to data published today by Turespaña. Of these 6 million passengers, 57.3% came from the EU, an increase of 19.1%, while the flow from the rest of the world, which accounted for the remaining 42.7%, grew by 16.8%. If we add January and February, Spain has already received 12.3 million international passengers, 15.5% more than in the first two months of 2023.

February saw a continuation of the already strong upward trend, with increases in passengers departing to Spain from all major sending countries compared to the same month in 2023, except Portugal. The notable growth rates for this month were Poland (84.8%), Ireland (27.3%), Switzerland (24.2%) and Italy (21.4%). The diversification of markets in the rest of the world reached a weight of close to 27% and an increase of 19.7% compared to a year ago.

The UK, with 1.3 million international passengers, generated 19.9% of the total flow of arrivals to Spain in February, recording a year-on-year increase of 15.1%. The Canary Islands was the largest recipient of arrivals, accounting for 40.1% of the total number of passengers from the UK. Some 82.8% of British passengers travelled on a low-cost carrier (LCC), with the UK the leader in arrivals on these airlines, accounting for 28% of the total.

Passenger arrivals from Germany stood at 806,357 in February (12.7% of the total), an increase of 19% compared to February 2023. German travellers mainly went to the Canary Islands (37.4% of passengers). Notably, slightly less than half of German passengers (47.9% of the total) travelled on traditional airlines, with Germany the leading market in terms of arrivals on these airlines (14.9% of the total).

Italy accounted for 9.8% of the flow of passengers welcomed in February (623,910 passengers), recording a year-on-year growth of 21.4%, which particularly benefited Catalonia and the Madrid Region. The Basque Country and Asturias recorded a notable year-on-year growth of more than 100%. Among Italian travellers, 77.8% chose low-cost airlines, an increase of 23.3% compared to a year ago.

France, for its part, issued 7.5% of the total number of passengers in February, showing an expansion of 4.7%, particularly favouring Madrid and Catalonia, which received more than 100,000 arrivals, together accounting for 58.8% of the total. A total of 63.7% of French passengers used CBC on their flights, a year-on-year growth of 1.7%.

Last, the Netherlands accounted for 5.1% of the total number of travellers. This market experienced a growth of 20.8% in February and its main destinations were Catalonia and the Valencian Community, together accounting for 42.1% of arrivals. The vast majority of travellers from the Netherlands (71%) also chose low-cost airlines for their flights.

Autonomous communities of destination

The six main communities receiving visitors accounted for a 97.6% share of arrivals, recording notable increases in the first month of the year. The largest year-on-year increases - 30.9% and 24.6% - were in Andalusia and the Valencian Community, respectively.

Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas airport received the most arrivals in February, with 1.7 million, followed by Barcelona, with 1.3 million, and Malaga, with 584,299. The highest year-on-year increase was at Malaga airport, with a 31.8% increase, followed by Alicante, with a 28.5% increase.

Non official translation