United Airlines resumes today the direct and daily flight from Malaga to New York with high occupancy.

Pilar Martínez

Málaga

Málaga is once again connected with a direct daily flight to New York. United Airlines is resuming this operation with a plane that left ... this Thursday from Newark Airport and will depart today, May 1st, from the capital of the Costa del Sol to the Big Apple. This marks the fourth season of an operation that will continue until the end of September, and the tourism sector hopes it will be the last to operate only in the high season, a decision to be made in October when the company schedules for 2027, explains Antonio de Toro, United Airlines' Sales Director in Spain.

At 17:55 New York time, the first flight of the season departed from Newark Airport to Málaga, where it is scheduled to land at 7:35 local time this May 1st on the Boeing 757-200 operating this route. The first flight back to the only destination in Andalusia connected with the United States will depart from the Costa del Sol at 9:35. De Toro reports that these first flights have occupancies of 90% and 85%, respectively. "We are very pleased with the response. The average occupancy throughout the Costa del Sol operation is above last year's. Future prospects until next September 23 are better than in 2025," he states, noting that "the Costa del Sol operation will maintain an operation with no significant changes compared to last year." It is worth remembering that last year, the company offered 51,000 seats, a figure that represented an increase of 280% compared to 2023 and the same as in 2024. "This route works wonderfully," he declares, announcing that "30% of the sales for this flight were made in Spain, which is a higher percentage than for other United Airlines routes in the country. The flight's performance is very positive for Spaniards," says De Toro.

Regarding the impact of the war in Iran, he assures that there has been no incidence on bookings. The shortage of kerosene is also not a concern. "We will adapt to market conditions. From headquarters, we have not been notified of any supply problems. We continue our work with total normality," he states.

"The average occupancy of flights for the entire season in Málaga is already higher than last year"

Given the tourism sector's persistent demand for this route to be permanent, De Toro explains that "if I had a crystal ball I could give an answer, but this will have to wait until October." However, he advances that the airline will receive an order of fifty 321-XCLR aircraft that "will give us a lot of play because they represent a 20% reduction in operating costs. This will allow us to make improvements in the markets."

De Toro provides data on this connection and ensures that 46% of the passengers stay in the New York area and the remaining 54% continue their journey to Orlando, Miami, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Cancun, Mexico City, Chicago, Tampa, and Nashville, the capital of Tennessee.

Additionally, he recalls that the airline has added new destinations in Spain this high season. In addition to flying from Málaga, it does so for the first time from Santiago de Compostela, as well as maintaining the routes from Bilbao and Palma de Mallorca in summer, while from Madrid and Barcelona, it has scheduled flights throughout the year. "We are happy with the launch in Santiago de Compostela. It has been very well received," he states.

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