Wizz Air strengthens its commitment to Malaga airport with more routes and more seats available for flying

This year, Wizz Air is strengthening its commitment to the Málaga airport, considered "strategic" within the network of this company in Spain, where it operates in 16 air infrastructures. Andras Rado, the company's Head of Communication, disclosed the operations on the Costa del Sol during a business breakfast attended by representatives from the Junta de Andalucía, Costa del Sol, the Málaga City Council, and the airport, among others. Rado announced that in 2026 they will increase air capacity at the Málaga facilities by 25%, which means they will offer two million seats to fly to 17 cities in nine countries. "We are increasing our presence with more seats, more routes, and more frequencies," he stated, adding that they will launch flights to Venice and Turin starting September 14 and October 26, respectively.

"Málaga is a very important airport for us and for the passengers who love this destination. It is the second after Barcelona in terms of air capacity and one of the airports where we will grow the most. Our commitment is real. We want to increase the offer of seats and connections because it plays a fundamental role in Wizz Air's strategy in Spain," he explained, recalling that they started operations at this facility in 2011 and have been growing ever since. In fact, he noted that in 2025 they increased operations by 17% and this year they are raising it to 25%. A growth that has also been key as they had a "good" winter season. "The Costa del Sol is that destination everyone chooses when it's very cold and they want to escape to warmer places," he said.

Rado expressed his confidence that the war in Iran will improve expectations as he considers that the Persian Gulf markets have stalled and countries like Israel or Jordan have closed air connections, which will divert tourists towards Europe and "Málaga is a very safe destination. Europeans have shifted their bookings, which are on the rise, towards Spain, Greece, and Italy. Spanish destinations could benefit from the impact of this war and many more people could come to Spain," declared the Head of Communication of Wizz Air, a company that began flying on May 19, 2004, from Katowice, 19 days after the admission of Poland and Hungary as members of the European Union.

9.6

are the millions of passengers that it expects to move this year in the 16 airports where it operates in Spain.

Regarding the current uncertainty about a possible fuel shortage that could cause flight cancellations, Rado made it clear that Wizz Air is not affected by this situation: "We have reserves of kerosene both in Spain and Hungary." However, he did announce that ticket prices might increase, which is why he encouraged buying vacations as soon as possible. "40% of our tickets are priced below 40 euros," he recalled.

He also disclosed the planned programming in the 16 Spanish airports where they operate and stated that he expects a 34% increase in air capacity to add up to moving 9.6 million travelers on the 45,000 flights scheduled for the 142 routes that will connect Spanish destinations with 15 countries. In this regard, Rado highlighted the key data of the company globally: 500 million passengers reached in 2025, a thousand routes, with operations in 50 countries, a fleet of 260 aircraft, 73% of which have technology that consumes less fuel and produces less carbon footprint, and that will reach 500 by 2029. By 2026 they expect to move 80 million passengers.

The Director General of Development and Promotion of the Junta, Gemma del Corral, emphasized the importance of improving air connectivity in the Costa del Sol for Andalusia, which she assured "is the crown jewel." For his part, the Director General of Tourism Costa del Sol, Antonio Díaz, focused on the airport expansion projects in Málaga and on the joint work being done by all administrations to advance the goal of improving air connections, to which he highlighted that "Wizz Air contributes to this with these growth bets," he pointed out. Díaz anticipated that in the next six months there will be an 8% increase in seats to fly from the Costa del Sol, raising it to 9.6 million seats offered by the airlines. "Málaga is a destination with great strength that will be connected with 151 cities next semester. We consolidate ourselves as one of the most important tourist hubs in southern Europe," he stated.