- Spain’s AESA has authorised 248 non-EU flight programmes for winter 2026-2027
- The figure represents a 21pc increase on the 205 approved a year earlier
- The programmes cover non-stop services to about 80 countries outside the EU
- Airlines from 58 countries are involved
- Codeshare agreements grew fastest, up 24pc
Spain’s State Aviation Safety Agency has authorised 248 flight programmes linking the country with non-EU destinations for the 2026-2027 winter season, a 21pc increase on the 205 approved a year earlier. These cover non-stop services to about 80 countries outside the European Union, 30 more than previously, involving airlines from around 58 countries. Codeshare agreements grew fastest, up 24pc.
Of the total, 218 programmes are for passengers and 30 for freighters. Within direct operations, 107 are scheduled passenger flights, 19 are charter flights and 30 are dedicated cargo. AESA introduced an updated interface for its Electronic Headquarters ahead of the season to accelerate the application process.
Total scheduled seat capacity across all flights in Spain for the winter season is 145.6m seats, a 5.5pc increase year-on-year. Growth is concentrated in major international gateways with Madrid-Barajas seeing a 10pc increase in scheduled seat capacity compared to a 1.9pc rise at Barcelona-El Prat.
