Airlines will operate 17 routes between UK and Malaga Airport this winter with 7.3% more seats on offer
Ryanair, with more than a third of the flights, is the leading airline at the gateway to the Costa del Sol, followed by easyJet, jet2.com and British Airways
The Costa del Sol is maintaing the loyalty of the British tourist market in the final stretch of the year. According to data provided by president of Turismo Costa del Sol Francisco Salado, the upward trend is bound to continue. At Malaga province's stand at the World Travel Market (WTM) in London, Salado announced that airlines have increased the seat offer from the UK to Malaga Airport by 7.3% compared to the same period last year. With the addition of a new route from and to Durham, Malaga Airport is connected to 17 British cities and major towns with more than 770,000 seats available.
Eight airlines operate these connections. London has the largest capacity, with almost 313,000 seats, followed closely by Manchester with 80,000 seats and Bristol with around 53,000 seats. Except for East Midlands and Belfast, where the offer has slightly decreased by 2.9% and 3.6%, respectively, the rest of the 17 routes are expected to continue growing.
According to Salado, October is the month with the biggest pull, expecting an increase of almost 9%, followed by November and December, for which an increase of 4.6% and 7.7%, respectively, has been forecast.
Salado also pointed out that the number of arrivals from the UK exceeded 2.42 million from January to September. "This represents a significant growth compared to the same period last year," he stated, adding that it also "represents an increase of 2.7% compared to the same period before the pandemic".
Malaga Airport is the main gateway for British tourists to Andalucía, accounting for 84.8% of arrivals in the whole region and 12.8% in Spain. On top of that, the UK is the international market with the highest number of arrivals registered so far this year. In 2024, the number of passengers arriving in Malaga exceeded 2.84 million, i.e. 6.5% more than in 2023, but still 2.9% fewer than in 2019.
London, leading issuer
London has been the main source city, with 956,713 passengers, followed by Manchester, Bristol, Birmingham, Glasgow, Liverpool, Leeds, East Midlands and Belfast, each with between 100,000 and 250,000 arrivals. Next come Newcastle and Edinburgh, with more than 50,000 passengers so far in 2025.
Salado highlighted Malaga Airport's pull for British tourists in Spain. In terms of numbers, it is exceeded only by the Balearic Islands and Alicante. Moreover, the five companies with the highest volume of passengers have increased their offer this year. "Ryanair, with more than a third of the market share, is the company with the largest number of seats on offer, followed by easyJet, jet2.com and British Airways," Salado stated.
