Spain's airlines see winter sales boost due to Middle East conflict
MADRID, Oct 22 (Reuters) -Airline operators in Spain expect to sell 12% more seats this winter than a year earlier as travellers look to steer well clear of conflict zones, the head of Spain's airlines industry group (ALA) said on Tuesday.
Tourist destinations such as the Canary Islands will see more flights as some airlines re-route planes from Israel and other destinations in the Middle East, ALA President Javier Gandara told a press conference in Madrid.
For the winter, "there have been a number of changes in airline schedules, many of them caused by the conflict in the Middle East, and Spain has had additional schedules," he said.
An ALA estimate published on Oct. 15 forecast sales of 137 million seats through March, an increase on the 134 million predicted by Spanish airport operator Aena from data provided by airlines in August, before the Middle East conflict spread.
Spain received a record 64.3 million foreign tourists from January to August, up 11% from the same period in 2023, putting it on track for another record year for visitors despite growing local discontent over the impact of tourism in some hotspots.
"Airline capacity continues to grow and we believe it can break the all-time record of last year again in 2024," Gandara said.
Analysts expect southern European airports to outperform their northern counterparts by traffic volume this year, with southern terminals receiving more leisure travellers while northern destinations remain focused on business passengers.
Spanish airports received 237 million passengers in the year to September, 10% more than in the same period of 2023, according to the latest figures from Aena.
Reporting by Corina Pons and Matteo Allievi; Editing by Charlie Devereux and Mark Potter
Related Assets
Latest News
Disclaimer: The XM Group entities provide execution-only service and access to our Online Trading Facility, permitting a person to view and/or use the content available on or via the website, is not intended to change or expand on this, nor does it change or expand on this. Such access and use are always subject to: (i) Terms and Conditions; (ii) Risk Warnings; and (iii) Full Disclaimer. Such content is therefore provided as no more than general information. Particularly, please be aware that the contents of our Online Trading Facility are neither a solicitation, nor an offer to enter any transactions on the financial markets. Trading on any financial market involves a significant level of risk to your capital.
All material published on our Online Trading Facility is intended for educational/informational purposes only, and does not contain – nor should it be considered as containing – financial, investment tax or trading advice and recommendations; or a record of our trading prices; or an offer of, or solicitation for, a transaction in any financial instruments; or unsolicited financial promotions to you.
Any third-party content, as well as content prepared by XM, such as: opinions, news, research, analyses, prices and other information or links to third-party sites contained on this website are provided on an “as-is” basis, as general market commentary, and do not constitute investment advice. To the extent that any content is construed as investment research, you must note and accept that the content was not intended to and has not been prepared in accordance with legal requirements designed to promote the independence of investment research and as such, it would be considered as marketing communication under the relevant laws and regulations. Please ensure that you have read and understood our Notification on Non-Independent Investment. Research and Risk Warning concerning the foregoing information, which can be accessed here.
