A deeper dive into Aena’s slot filings, published by business daily Cinco Días on 24 October, highlights how Spain’s route map is shifting towards fast-growing emerging markets. Although European services still supply the bulk of capacity (77 million seats), Asia-Pacific is the standout performer with a 33 % jump to 1.1 million seats, followed by the Middle East (+28 %). Connections to China rise nearly 48 % thanks to Air China’s daily Shanghai-Madrid flight and China Eastern’s Barcelona service, restoring pre-Covid frequencies ahead of the Canton Fair and Mobile World Congress.
Turkey’s capacity gains (+33.7 %) come from Turkish Airlines’ third daily Istanbul-Barcelona rotation and the entry of Air Europa on the Madrid-Istanbul route—moves that intensify competition for corporate traffic between two finance hubs. Emirates widens its Madrid schedule to triple-daily and adds a second daily A380 on Dubai-Barcelona, pushing UAE seat counts up 32.5 %. Brazil, buoyed by strong VFR and agribusiness demand, climbs 29.7 % with LATAM and Iberia both adding São Paulo frequencies.
The pattern underscores Spain’s pivot from traditional EU feeders to intercontinental growth engines. For multinationals this enhances one-stop connectivity to Asian supply chains and Middle-Eastern investment flows, but it also raises complexity around visas (especially Chinese M-visas) and duty-of-care when routing staff through unfamiliar hubs. Mobility managers should revisit preferred-carrier agreements; Middle-Eastern carriers, in particular, are using premium-cabin promotions to capture Spanish corporate share.
Cinco Días notes that 2,485 routes will operate this winter, up 81 year-on-year, and forecasts that total passenger throughput could break 320 million in 2025 if the trend holds. While regional airports such as Vitoria and Murcia post eye-catching percentage jumps, Madrid and Barcelona remain the heavyweights, together adding 44 routes and 1.6 million extra seats. This concentration means slot scarcity at peak times persists, so early ticketing remains best practice.
Forward-looking companies should also track sustainability metrics: Aena’s new incentive scheme discounts airport charges for airlines using at least 10 % Sustainable Aviation Fuel on Spanish departures from April 2026. Carriers serving the booming China and Gulf markets are already negotiating SAF supply contracts at Madrid and Barcelona, which could influence corporate carbon-budget planning.
Turkey’s capacity gains (+33.7 %) come from Turkish Airlines’ third daily Istanbul-Barcelona rotation and the entry of Air Europa on the Madrid-Istanbul route—moves that intensify competition for corporate traffic between two finance hubs. Emirates widens its Madrid schedule to triple-daily and adds a second daily A380 on Dubai-Barcelona, pushing UAE seat counts up 32.5 %. Brazil, buoyed by strong VFR and agribusiness demand, climbs 29.7 % with LATAM and Iberia both adding São Paulo frequencies.
The pattern underscores Spain’s pivot from traditional EU feeders to intercontinental growth engines. For multinationals this enhances one-stop connectivity to Asian supply chains and Middle-Eastern investment flows, but it also raises complexity around visas (especially Chinese M-visas) and duty-of-care when routing staff through unfamiliar hubs. Mobility managers should revisit preferred-carrier agreements; Middle-Eastern carriers, in particular, are using premium-cabin promotions to capture Spanish corporate share.
Cinco Días notes that 2,485 routes will operate this winter, up 81 year-on-year, and forecasts that total passenger throughput could break 320 million in 2025 if the trend holds. While regional airports such as Vitoria and Murcia post eye-catching percentage jumps, Madrid and Barcelona remain the heavyweights, together adding 44 routes and 1.6 million extra seats. This concentration means slot scarcity at peak times persists, so early ticketing remains best practice.
Forward-looking companies should also track sustainability metrics: Aena’s new incentive scheme discounts airport charges for airlines using at least 10 % Sustainable Aviation Fuel on Spanish departures from April 2026. Carriers serving the booming China and Gulf markets are already negotiating SAF supply contracts at Madrid and Barcelona, which could influence corporate carbon-budget planning.
