- The Canary Islands received 1.12m international air passengers in September, down 1.3pc.
- Tenerife recorded a 3.3pc decline while Gran Canaria grew about 1pc.
- El Hierro posted a 3.6pc increase in passenger traffic.
- German arrivals dropped while French arrivals grew 20pc.
- Rising flight costs and airline capacity shifts contributed to the decline.
The Canary Islands has received 1.12m international air passengers in September a drop of 1.3pc on the same month last year. Low-cost carriers carried just over 721,000 of those travellers a slight rise while traditional airlines saw a decline of 4.6pc. Across the first nine months of the year the islands welcomed 11.57m foreign air passengers down 0.6pc.
Tenerife suffered the most notable downturn experiencing a 3.3pc decline in international passengers at its main airports. Gran Canaria bucked the overall negative trend managing a modest growth of about 1pc. El Hierro defied the archipelago’s slump entirely by posting a 3.6pc increase in passenger traffic. Passenger arrivals from Germany dropped sharply while the French market grew significantly with a 20pc jump.
Canarias Tourism Minister Jessica de León outlined several headwinds causing the contraction. Rising flight costs and inflation have driven up airfares squeezing holidaymaker budgets. Major low-cost carriers and tour operators such as Jet2 have started shifting flight schedules away from the Canaries toward more affordable rival destinations like Egypt and Morocco. Economic pressures in key markets including Germany and England have reduced disposable income.
Jessica de León shared “Rising flight costs and inflation have driven up airfares, squeezing holidaymaker budgets.”
