Airlines have scheduled 28.9 million seats at Canary Islands airports for the winter season, which commenced on Sunday and will run until 30th March 2024. This marks a substantial 15% increase compared to the same season in 2022. Of these seats, 18.2 million are allocated to international flights, reflecting a 17% rise, while 10.7 million are designated for domestic flights, showing an 11% increase.
The number of commercial operations planned for this season has surged by 13% compared to the corresponding period last year, with a total of 197,854 arrivals and departures.
A total of 819 routes have been planned by airlines for the archipelago, indicating an increase of 59 compared to the previous winter season.
Gran Canaria Airport boasts the highest seat availability, with more than 8.6 million scheduled seats, representing a growth of 12.4%. Among these, over 3.6 million seats connect to other parts of Spain, more than 4.8 million to European destinations, and nearly 127,000 to the African continent. Notably, 47 airlines have scheduled 254 routes at Gran Canaria Airport, connecting it with 144 different destinations. The largest number of seats offered, after Spain, is with Germany, followed by the United Kingdom.
Tenerife South Airport has scheduled 215 routes operated by 49 airlines, offering over 7.5 million seats, a substantial increase of 15.2% compared to 2022. Of these, more than 6.8 million are for European flights, nearly 610,000 for domestic flights, and more than 42,500 for flights to Africa. The airlines have scheduled nearly 40,500 movements to 115 destinations. The United Kingdom stands out as a prominent market, particularly London and Manchester, followed by Germany and Spain.
César Manrique-Lanzarote Airport, with more than 5 million scheduled seats, has witnessed a notable increase of 23.8% compared to the previous winter season. Of these seats, more than 3.6 million are designated for international flights, and more than 1.5 million for domestic flights. This season, 34 airlines have scheduled 156 routes, resulting in 32,518 movements to 87 destinations. The United Kingdom holds a significant share of seats, primarily to London, followed by domestic destinations, Germany, Ireland, and France.
Fuerteventura Airport has offered more than 3.4 million seats, reflecting an 11% increase over the 2022 winter season, with 36 airlines scheduling 128 routes. Over 2.6 million seats cater to international flights to/from Europe, and nearly 870,000 for domestic flights. In this period, 22,268 movements have been scheduled to 73 different destinations. The United Kingdom stands out as a key market, particularly London, followed by Germany and Spain.
Tenerife Norte-Ciudad de La Laguna Airport features 8 airlines and 38 routes, with just over 30,000 operations to 23 destinations. Among the more than 3.4 million seats on offer, which have increased by 15.1%, the majority are allocated to domestic destinations, with nearly 20,000 seats reserved for international flights. The domestic market is prominent, with connections to Madrid, Gran Canaria, La Palma, Barcelona, and Lanzarote.
La Palma Airport will offer 25 routes, with 14 airlines operating this season, providing nearly 830,000 seats, a 7.5% increase. Around 650,000 seats are designated for domestic flights, and around 185,000 to/from Europe. In total, they have programmed around 9,000 movements to 20 different destinations. The number of seats on offer to Tenerife, Gran Canaria, and Madrid stands out.
Lastly, the airlines are offering nearly 160,000 seats at El Hierro Airport, a 10% increase, with 2,212 movements, and at La Gomera almost 90,000 seats and 1,242 movements, all to inter-island destinations, specifically to Tenerife Norte-Ciudad de La Laguna and Gran Canaria.
CANARY ISLANDS AIRPORTS: FLEXIBLE SCHEDULING SUBJECT TO CHANGE
It’s important to note that the schedule of seats and movements is subject to change by the airlines for the 2023 winter season. The figures provided represent the supply of seats and flights and not actual traffic data, which is determined after flights are operated and passenger occupancy is known.
Aena is introducing a commercial incentive aimed at encouraging airlines to operate new routes to unserved destinations and expand routes at airports with fewer than 3 million passengers. This incentive includes the reimbursement of 100% of the airport passenger fare corresponding to the number of passengers for each company that opens new routes or demonstrates growth compared to the previous season. The maximum number of passengers to be incentivized for each airline is capped by the number of passengers that the airline grows at the airport and in the total network. This incentive will be in effect from 1st November to 31st March 2024.
