Malaga Airport has achieved a historic milestone, welcoming nearly 4.8 million passengers in the first quarter of 2025, a 6% increase over the previous year’s record, despite Easter falling outside this period in 2025. According to Aena, Spain’s airport operator, this performance solidifies Malaga’s position as Spain’s third-largest airport, behind Madrid and Barcelona.

March was particularly strong, with 1.9 million passengers, up 8.3% from 2024, and 13,489 aircraft movements, an 11.3% rise. The airport recorded 34,843 take-offs and landings from January to March, a 7% increase. While domestic demand dipped by 1.3%, international traffic surged by 7.8%, with 867,295 Spanish and 3,910,295 foreign passengers.

Nationwide, Spain’s air traffic network and 16 major airports, including Madrid, Barcelona, and Palma de Mallorca, also hit record passenger numbers. Malaga is gearing up for a blockbuster summer, with leading airlines expanding operations:

• Ryanair, the airport’s top carrier, will offer 5.3 million seats, a 5% increase, and connect Malaga to 91 European cities, including five new routes: Warsaw, Brno, Lübeck, Münster, and Teesside.
• Vueling, the second-largest operator, will link Malaga to 15 destinations, boosting seats by 23.2%. New frequencies include Amsterdam, London-Gatwick, Paris Orly, and domestic routes like Tenerife-North and Las Palmas.
• EasyJet will increase seats by 11%, adding five new destinations for a total of 23, and maintain its seasonal base for the fifth consecutive summer.
• KLM will boost seats to Amsterdam by 34%, doubling flights from last year.
  
  

Malaga Airport, which handled over 25 million passengers in 2024, continues to exceed expectations, approaching its 30-million-passenger capacity.