Spanish airports set record July with 34.4 million passengers, Barcelona-El Prat nears 5.9 million

Record July across Aena's network

Aena's Spanish airport network handled 34.4 million passengers in July 2026, a 5% increase over the same month in 2025, setting a new monthly record. The accumulated total for the first seven months reached 190.65 million passengers, up 4%, with 1.62 million aircraft movements, a 4.4% rise, and 773,812 tonnes of cargo, up 2.9%. The Aena group as a whole, including international airports, recorded 230.87 million passengers in the January-to-July period, also up 4%, while cargo tonnage dipped 0.2% to 863,121 tonnes. Aircraft movements across the Spanish network in July totalled 284,423, a 6.1% increase.

Barcelona-El Prat leads growth among major hubs

Barcelona-El Prat registered 5,871,137 passengers in July, a 6% year-on-year increase and the best historical figure for the month. The accumulated count for January through July stood at 34,242,752, up 4.6%. International traffic drove the growth: 4,531,980 international passengers in July represented a 7.6% rise, while domestic passengers edged up just 0.6% to 1,330,168. The airport managed 35,886 aircraft movements in July, 6.6% more than a year earlier, and transported 20,435 tonnes of cargo, an 8.1% increase. Air cargo was the most dynamic category year-to-date, with 125,309 tonnes moved between January and July, up 11.6%. Aena has suggested that Barcelona can accommodate further traffic growth by extending operating hours and using larger aircraft, as the airport operates near its capacity limit.

Bilbao and Valencia post double-digit gains

Bilbao airport recorded 806,402 passengers in July, a 16.8% increase, with international traffic jumping 27.7% to 426,289 and domestic rising 6.6% to 378,924. Its seven-month accumulated total reached 4,367,752 passengers, up 9.6%, with 32,419 aircraft operations, up 3.9%. Valencia airport handled 1,258,225 commercial passengers in July, an 11.1% increase, with international traffic up 15.1% to 976,337 and domestic down 0.5% to 279,854. For the year, Valencia accumulated 7,312,106 passengers, 8.5% more than in the same period of 2025. Italy was the top international destination from Valencia in July with 219,428 passengers, followed by the United Kingdom (124,362), the Netherlands (101,459), Germany (93,883) and France (80,971). Asturias airport also grew strongly, with 236,618 passengers in July, up 13.4%, driven by a 22.2% rise in domestic traffic to 195,165.

Galicia bucks the national trend

While most Spanish airports grew, Galicia's three airports together lost passengers. They handled 519,387 travellers in July, down from 557,632 in July 2025. Santiago de Compostela recorded the steepest decline at 10.3%, with 305,371 passengers and 2,217 flights, down 12.5%, partly reflecting the after-effects of a month-long closure between April and May. A Coruña was the only Galician airport to gain passengers in July, up 0.9% to 114,134, while Vigo fell 4.1% to 99,882. For the year, Santiago's accumulated traffic dropped 34.6% to 1,214,570, though it remained Galicia's busiest airport. A Coruña gained 16.2% to 864,835 and Vigo rose 2.8% to 643,795.

Fuel costs and Spain's safe-haven appeal

LaVanguardia reported that the war in Iran has driven up kerosene prices, which airlines have not fully passed on to ticket prices, partly due to long-term fuel contracts and partly out of concern that higher fares would depress demand. Airlines have absorbed the cost by accepting lower profit margins, which had been at historical highs. Spain's refining infrastructure and geographic distance from the conflict have positioned the country as a refuge compared with other tourist destinations, contributing to the traffic records. Among the other Catalan airports, Girona-Costa Brava registered 320,926 passengers in July and 3,553 operations, up 9%, while Reus counted 235,986 passengers, up 6.1%.