Aena y aerolíneas responden al alza del petróleo con un 4,2% más de tráfico en septiembre

Airlines and airports in Spain report a 4.2% increase in traffic in September due to rising oil prices, despite airlines warning that the cost increase could dampen the trend this winter. In September, passenger numbers rose to 31.67 million, almost identical to the 4.1% increase over the nine-month period, reaching a new record of 257.21 million users.

Airlines had scheduled 5.7% more seats in Spain this summer compared to the previous year, pending the impact of Iran, whose consequences include rising kerosene prices, the main expense for low-cost carriers. The rise in ticket prices is not uniform and depends on competition levels and passenger profiles. For instance, IAG, the parent company of Iberia, British Airways, and Vueling, said it is more feasible to transfer the cost increase on long-haul routes than on European or domestic routes, although this is not always the case.

In Spain, inflation and general cost of living increases negatively affect purchasing power, while a diversion of traffic from conflict zones (Middle East) to safer countries may also impact the trend. Spanish market continues to outperform Europe, where demand (measured in passenger-kilometers, an indicator that considers flight distance) grew by 3% through August, according to the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

Globally, the increase is only 0.4%. Aena raised its growth forecast for traffic in 2026 to 3%, which would mean the same activity in the last quarter of 2026 as the previous year without growth. The sector fears that the demand may be dampened along with reduced margins due to the highest kerosene prices. September data are also the first known after the government approved the Aena investment and regulated tariff plan for 2027-2032 (Dora III), which anticipates an average annual traffic increase of 1.8%, with a tariff increase of 0.33%.

By airports, Madrid saw a 6.6% increase in September compared to Barcelona's 2.6%, which faces capacity issues and its expansion will start later than Barajas'. The increase in activity is more associated with international flights in both cases. The airlines with the most traffic were Ryanair, Vueling, the Iberia group, easyJet, and Air Europa.

By destinations, the main increases are in corridors with Poland, Bulgaria, and Portugal, while Spain grew by 1.5% since January.