Malaga Airport, the country's second in international 'low cost' passengers

Málaga Airport is dominated by low-cost airlines. The intense activity of these 'low cost' carriers has turned this facility into ... the second in the country for the arrival of international travelers to the Costa del Sol in the first quarter of the year, according to the monthly report by Turespaña. The report notes that from January to March, the Malaga airport facilities recorded the arrival of 1.5 million international passengers on these low-cost airlines, compared to half a million who landed at the destination on traditional airlines.

In the case of 'low cost' airlines, Málaga Airport captures 11.6% of the travelers who arrived in Spain with these companies, which recorded a 5.9% growth in travelers on the Costa del Sol in the first quarter. Only Barcelona is ahead of the Malaga facility with 3.2 million travelers, accounting for 24.5% of the total in Spain, also noting a 6.1% increase in these first three months of the year compared to the same period in 2024. Málaga is followed by Alicante in international passenger activity on low-cost airlines.

On the other hand, regarding the movement of travelers on traditional airlines, Málaga Airport ranks third with 577,481 arrivals, representing 6.2% of the country's total and showing an upward trend with an increase of 7.5%.

In the case of Andalusia as a whole, the region is relegated to fourth place in the movement of foreign passengers who have arrived at Andalusian destinations on low-cost airline flights, preceded by Catalonia, the Canary Islands, and Valencia. These companies brought 2,169,789 foreign tourists to Andalusian airports, i.e., 16.7% of the total with an increase of 8.2%.

577,481

are the foreign passengers who arrived at Málaga Airport on traditional airlines, accounting for 6.2% of the country's total, after an increase of 7.5% in the first quarter of the year.

Turespaña has explained that, between January and March, Spain received close to 22.4 million international passengers, registering an increase of 5.8% compared to the same period in 2025. This represents 1.2 million additional arrivals. They detailed that last month there was an increase in arrivals of foreign travelers from the main markets, with the exception of France. They highlighted the annual increase from Poland and Ireland and the positive trend from the United States. In the diversification of markets (other countries), they focused on the increase in arrivals of international passengers from China, South Korea, and Brazil. They also warned of the decrease in tourists from the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, and Israel due to the conflict in the Middle East.

Regarding traditional markets, Turespaña has pointed out that the United Kingdom sent around 1.8 million international passengers and accounted for 20.8% of the total flow of arrivals to Spain, with a year-over-year increase of 10.9%. The Canary Islands were their main destination, with a share of 34.2%, followed by the Valencian Community (18%) and Andalusia (15.9%). From Germany, 1.1 million passengers flew (13.2% of the total), returning to the positive trend lost at the beginning of the year, with an annual increase of 32% largely due to increases in the Balearic Islands and Andalusia. The Canary Islands were their main recipient with a share of 29.5%, although with a contraction of 2.4% in the annual rate. Likewise, the Community of Madrid and the Basque Country also showed a decline this month.

Turespaña has reported that in March, the six main autonomous communities accounted for 97.5% of the total arrivals, all registering increases. The Canary Islands had the smallest rise, at 1.5%. The Community of Madrid concentrated the highest number of passengers with 25.4% of the arrivals, followed by Catalonia and the Canary Islands, with 20.3% and 18.7%, respectively. Andalusia received 907,663 foreign tourists, 17.6% of the total, and an increase of 11.4%.