Catalonia accounts for almost a third of "low-cost" travelers in Spain
65% of passengers arriving in El Prat through August came on cheap flights
This summer Catalonia solidified its position as the main entry point for low-cost travelers to Spain. Catalan airports accounted for 28% of passengers using low-cost companies, almost one in three, which is equivalent to more than 7.75 million people. The figure is 12% higher than last year.
With these figures, Catalonia, and especially El Prat airport, are the true kings of low-cost air travel in Spain. Catalonia’s 28% market share is far above that of the region that comes in second for this type of travel, which is the Balearic Islands with 16% of the total.
El Prat airport accounted for the majority of these travelers, with over seven million in total. This means that one fourth of all low-cost travel in Spain passes through the Barcelona airport. Girona is the second point-of-entry for air travel in Catalonia, with close to 550,000 low-cost travelers through August. In the case of Girona-Costa Brava, however, the airport saw a decrease of 7% compared to 2015.
Madrid ranks sixth, behind the Balearic Islands, Valencia, Andalusia, and the Canary Islands. The growth of low-cost at Adolfo Suárez-Madrid Barajas airports was half of that in Barcelona, with 7% more than a year ago, and a total of three million travelers, which is slightly more than 11% of the total for Spain.
If you look at the rankings by airport instead of by region, El Prat not only comes in first, but also is very far ahead of the second place airport (Málaga), which saw 3.3 million passengers. The third and fourth are almost tied: Alicante and Palma de Mallorca, with just over three million each.
Madrid leads in traditional flights
El Prat received close to 109 million travelers from January through the end of August, 11% more than last year. Some 65% of these visitors came on a low-cost flight. The traffic numbers for Madrid-Barajas are higher, with 12 million passenger arrivals and a lower growth figure of 7%.
The big difference with El Prat is in traditional flights, which are the majority in Madrid. In contrast to Barcelona, three of every four passengers landing in Madrid use this type of flight rather than low-cost options.
The data from the Ministry of Industry show a positive balance for the summer period in Spain from the point of view of tourism. Low-cost has played a key role, because it has been the means of entry for more than half of all visitors. In total, low-cost flights have carried 4.6 million travelers in August, 9% more than in 2015. Some 60% of these passengers flew with one of the three top companies in this market: Ryanair, Vueling, and EasyJet. These three companies account for one of every three international visitors to Spain, and all three have grown significantly over this period.
