Direct and Daily Flights from Malaga to New York Return: Everything You Need to Know

Malaga Airport has reinstated its daily direct flight to New York. This Friday, the American company United Airlines will resume this connection, which will remain active until September 24th. This marks the third summer season for the airline at the Malaga facility, where, following its successful debut on the Costa del Sol, it increased from three weekly frequencies to a daily flight last year—a schedule it will repeat starting this Friday.

The head of Sales for this American company in Spain, Antonio de Toro, reports that 51,000 seats have been put on sale, a figure that represents a 280% increase from those offered in 2023 and the same operation as in 2024. With good impressions in these days leading up to the reactivation of this route despite the context of uncertainty due to the Trump administration and the tariff crisis, the first United Airlines flight will land at Malaga Airport this Friday at 7:35 AM, after taking off from Newark Airport on Thursday at 5:50 PM. The flight from Malaga to New York will depart daily at 9:35 AM to arrive in the Big Apple at 12:10 PM local time. "I've seen that the flights are just like last year. Really, the impact is not as strong as we might expect. We are compensating with better, more attractive rates than last year. We are within expectations," De Toro states in an interview with SUR.

Moreover, he explains that "we are attentive because it is a moment of uncertainty because we do not know which direction things will go. But the reality is that the market as such does not seem to be discounting it much. I mean, there are no big differences in occupancy compared to last year." He emphasizes that "Malaga is the gateway to Andalusia. The Costa del Sol opens the doors to Granada, Seville, Cordoba, and the other Andalusian capitals" and that the North American traveler seeks in these destinations "not only all the cultural, artistic, and historical aspects, of course, but also moves beyond the typical European passenger profile that looks for sun and beach. Malaga offers that sun and beach, but also nautical, cultural, gastronomic offerings, and golf courses."

This connection, the only one in Andalusia that connects non-stop with the United States, will be operated with a Boeing 757-200 aircraft, which has a total of 176 seats, of which 16 are beds in United Polaris business class; 160 are Economy class, including 42 Economy Plus seats where the traveler has more space.

From the company, which this summer will fly from Bilbao and Palma de Mallorca as well as from Barcelona and Madrid, they confirm that demand remains strong and that these first flights have high occupancy rates, even in the higher-priced classes. This surge is in line with the increase in North American tourists arriving on the Costa del Sol even during periods when Malaga does not have direct flights to New York. It is worth remembering that last year the United States became the sixth most important market for hotels and apartments in the province, preceded by Spain, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Germany, and Italy, after growing by 10%.

United Airlines' love affair with Malaga continues: "we are very happy." It began in June 2023, with three frequencies a week and more than 18,300 seats, 9,150 seats in each direction. And it maintained its esteem for the Costa del Sol in the summer of 2024 with an allocation of 51,000 seats. "The increase is tremendous," Antonio de Toro affirmed in an interview. And yet, the response from both markets to the only connection in Andalusia with the United States exceeded expectations. After the hint dropped for 2025, the challenge is to consolidate the only route that connects Andalusia with the United States with a year-round operational flight. However, De Toro advances that "we still do not know this. It will also depend, as always, on the fleet we have. My colleagues in Planning in Chicago are the ones who will be giving us those good news."