Record numbers in Spanish airports for September

A RECENT report by AENA, the world’s largest airport operator with 47 airports in Spain, has recorded its best ever September in Spain with 21 million passengers visiting the country last month.

A total of 21.02 million passengers was recorded for the month which represents a 5 per cent increase over September last year.

The figures are revealed as part of a bigger picture of buoyant tourist spending in Spain. September is now the 23rd consecutive month of increased passenger traffic.

International flights accounted for more than 15 million passengers in September, a 4 per cent rise in comparison with the same month last year. Domestic traffic saw a 6.4 per cent rise to more than six million passengers.

The domestic numbers reflect more Spaniards taking short breaks and are another sign of a slowly strengthening economy.

Adolfo Suarez in Madrid was the busiest airport in Spain at a total of 4.33 million passengers, an 11.7 per cent increase over September 2014. Another increase of 11.7 per cent over last year was reported in international travellers using the airport, giving the capital a total of 3.13 million foreign passengers.

Barcelona also had a good month with El Prat airport reporting a 4.6 per cent increase over September of last year with 3.97 million passengers.

Palma de Mallorca saw 3.11 million visitors and Malaga airport welcomed 1.53 million. The figures for Malaga represent a 3.6 per cent increase for the city.