• International flights increased by around 5%
• Air traffic growth in Spain in May was 4.1 percentage points above the European average compared with 2025, and 19.7 points above 2019, the pre-pandemic reference year
• Almost 975,000 flights have been handled so far this year, 3.7% more than in 2025
ENAIRE, Spain’s national air navigation service provider, handled more than 235,000 flights (235,416) in May 2026, up 4.6% on the same month in the record year of 2025.
International flights (140,584) rose by almost 5% in May (4.9%); overflights (52,285)—those neither departing from nor arriving at a Spanish airport—increased by 4.6%; and domestic flights (42,547) by 3.4% compared with the same month last year.
This increase in air traffic in Spain in May 2026 compared with 2025 was 4.1 percentage points higher than the average European increase (0.5%). Compared with 2019, the pre-pandemic reference year, Spain outperformed the European average by 19.7 percentage points (ENAIRE: up 21.6%; Europe: up 1.9%).
By air traffic control centre, Seville handled 52,897 flights in May (6.4% more than in the same month of 2025); Palma, 43,514 (+6.1%); Barcelona, 117,971 (+4.7%); Madrid, 122,975 (+4.1%) and the Canary Islands, 34,125 (+3.3%).
Cumulative data
Looking at year-to-date figures, ENAIRE handled nearly 975,000 flights (974,512) in the first five months of 2026, up 3.7% on the same period in 2025.
From January to May, overflights (231,660) increased by 4.8%, international flights (555,074) by 4.3%, and domestic flights (187,778) by 1.0%.
Year to date, by control centre, Seville handled 235,855 flights (up 6.4% on the same period in 2025); Barcelona, 444,529 (+3.9%); Madrid, 549,674 (+3.8%); Palma, 120,682 (+2.9%); and the Canary Islands, 182,354 (+1.0%).
Cumulative traffic growth in Spain was 2.6 percentage points above the European average compared with 2025 (1.1%), and 20.6 points above the same period in 2019 (ENAIRE up 20.0%; Europe down 0.6%).
About ENAIRE
ENAIRE is the air navigation service provider in Spain.
As a company of the Ministry of Sustainable Transport and Mobility, it provides air traffic control services during the en route and approach phases of all flights to and from Spain and overflights. In addition, it manages communications, navigation and surveillance services from ENAIRE in the airspace and the entire AENA airport network in Spain and provides aerodrome air traffic control services in 21 airports, including the busiest.
ENAIRE is the fourth largest European air navigation service provider, and it is a member of international partnerships A6 Alliance, SESAR (Single European Sky ATM Research) Joint Undertaking, SESAR Deployment Manager, iTEC, CANSO (Civil Air Navigation Services Organisation) and collaborates closely with ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization).
ENAIRE has obtained the highest rating in the key performance indicator for air safety at European scale for six consecutive years, the last five with the maximum possible score of 100%. It has also been awarded the EFQM 600 Seal for its safe, efficient, innovative and sustainable management of air navigation services.