Málaga-Costa del Sol Airport shattered its all-time record by handling 3,046,818 passengers in July 2026, marking the first time in its 106-year history that the facility crossed the three-million threshold in a single month. The airport outpaced major hubs like Madrid and Barcelona to become Spain’s fastest-growing major airport for the period.
According to data released by the Spanish airport operator Aena, exactly 3,046,818 travellers passed through the busy Costa del Sol hub. This historic surge represents a 6.3pc increase in passenger traffic compared to the same period last year and 36.7pc ahead of pre-pandemic. Rolling annual was 27,772,568, also 6.7pc ahead of the twelve months to July 2025.
Flying tourists from outside of Spain remained the biggest driver of growth. Travelers from England made up the largest group of passengers with Ireland in seventh place. Dublin is the second busiest connected airport after London Gatwick, with nine flights a day during July.
Expanded flight options to more distant locations like New York, Doha, and Istanbul boosted traveler numbers. Flight companies expanded their total seating capacity by 8.6pc for the summer season.
The airport also managed 20,839 flights during the month. With this massive summer boom, total traffic for the year is projected to potentially approach 28 million passengers by the end of December. This sustained growth solidifies Malaga’s position as one of Spain’s fastest-growing major travel gateways.
Alicante-Elche Miguel Hernández Airport also broke records by surpassing two million passengers in a single month for the first time.
Airport passenger numbers
Aberdeen – Amsterdam – Belfast City – Belfast International – Birmingham – Bristol – Cardiff – CDG Paris – Cork – Derry – Donegal – Dublin– East Midlands – Edinburgh – Frankfurt – Gatwick – Glasgow – Heathrow – Kerry – Knock – Leeds Bradford – Liverpool – London City – Luton – Madrid – Manchester – Newcastle – Prestwick – Shannon – Southampton – Stansted –
