Malaga Airport soars to a new record with up to 60 private aircraft flights a day this summer

Malaga Airport is registering unstoppable growth month after month, well above that experienced by the rest of the main air infrastructures in the Aena network in Spain. Last July, the runways reached a historic peak of activity, with 689 aircraft movements in a single day. Specifically, this milestone occurred on 13 July.

However, not all of these flights were commercial, because the significant growth of private flights to the Costa del Sol had a lot to do with reaching this unprecedented figure. This was explained by the airport director, Pedro Bendala, who puts the number of landings and take-offs registered daily by the executive aviation business at up to 60. "It is a segment that has grown a lot in recent years. Every day we have between 50 and 60 private flights," he told SUR.

Moreover, the director said that the activity rate of private flights is growing above commercial traffic, which in this infrastructure is advancing at a rate of around eight per cent in passengers and aircraft movements in the first seven months of the year, to exceed 15.2 million users and 107,248 aircraft between January and July.

It is a boost that brings an increase in tourists with greater purchasing power who come to enjoy their holidays. At this point, the connection between business aviation and the business pull of technological Malaga, which has attracted major firms in the digital sector, leading to an increase in the movement of executives and professionals who travel to Malaga and other parts of the Costa del Sol for work purposes, stands out.

In addition to the above, Bendala pointed out the increase in business aviation companies that have opted to do business Malaga Airport and have generated an increase in competition that is also modulating their prices: "Normally, it is understood that it is a luxury aviation, but there are times when the price starts to be competitive with first class, and that is why it is increasingly in demand."

It should be remembered that Malaga Airport has a general aviation terminal that encompasses private aviation activities, sports flights, aerotaxis and executive charter flights. This is located next to the old passenger terminal, built in 1948, which was remodelled to meet the requirements of this type of passenger. Covering 1,800 square metres over three floors, it has passport control, ground handling and a VIP lounge, among other services such as concierge services, catering options and private transfers (by both ground and air). In fact, there are already companies offering premium services such as helicopter transfers to Marbella for passengers who have arrived at Marbella Airport, among other personalised journeys.

Companies in the business aviation sector confirm these good figures. This is the case of the Malaga-based company iJet Aviation. Its general manager, Javier Barriga, said: "This summer, as usual at Malaga Airport, we have experienced a significant increase in flights to and from the airport. Year after year, operations continue to grow and the Costa del Sol continues to consolidate itself as a regular and increasingly popular destination."

"At iJet, being a carrier based in this city has driven our fleet to expand by two more aircraft so far this year, and we plan to add two more before the end of the year. Indeed, the pace of growth in passenger traffic is a true reflection of our company's expansion," he said.

The Malaga-based company also has bases in other parts of Spain, with aircraft distributed throughout Europe and flights to and from any airport in the world. "Thanks to this, seasonality has practically disappeared for us. Although the summer months continue to concentrate the highest volume of passengers, the flow of operations remains practically constant throughout the year," he explained.

Therefore, he added, this summer the number of executive flights at these facilities has increased compared to the summer of 2024. "Not only has the number of operations increased, but also the number of passengers. In private aviation, the two figures are not always directly related, as on many occasions the planes do not travel with all their seats occupied."

In particular, iJet's fleet, which consists of eight aircraft of different ranges, has recorded a 22 per cent increase in flights compared to the previous year. "Between July and August, we have accumulated approximately 1,800 flight hours," he said. Although operations have grown considerably, the destinations have remained practically the same. Northern European countries, the United Kingdom and the Middle East stand out above all, with a special presence of Dubai and Qatar. Not forgetting the significant flow of domestic flights to cities such as Madrid, Ibiza and the Canary Islands.