Aena, the Spanish airport operator, reported that its eight airports in the Canary Islands would handle 1,317 movements on Monday, 8 December—an 11.8 % decline compared with the same day in 2024. The numbers, released mid-morning, confirm that airlines trimmed capacity for the post-holiday ‘operación retorno’ despite healthy load factors during the outward leg earlier in the week.
Whether you’re a corporate mobility manager rotating staff or a holidaymaker chasing winter sun, checking that passports, visas and ETIAS approvals are squared away before flying is just as important as finding a seat. VisaHQ’s Spain portal (https://www.visahq.com/spain/) streamlines the paperwork, letting travelers verify entry rules, complete applications online and track progress in real time—freeing them to focus on snagging those increasingly scarce Canary Islands flights.
Gran Canaria remains the archipelago’s workhorse with 404 scheduled take-offs and landings, followed by Tenerife Norte (246) and Tenerife Sur (218). Smaller islands such as La Gomera keep single-digit tallies but are holding steady year-on-year, suggesting that reductions are concentrated on leisure trunk routes rather than essential inter-island links.
![Canary Islands see 12 % drop in flights on final day of holiday ‘operation return’]()
For employers rotating project staff or offshore technicians via the Canaries, the cutback means fewer same-day options and potentially longer layovers on routes that rely on snake-leg itineraries through Madrid or Barcelona. Mobility teams are being advised to re-evaluate minimum-stay restrictions in corporate booking tools and to lock in Q1 2026 travel now, as airlines recalibrate winter schedules in response to higher fuel costs and the lingering Ryanair ground-handling dispute.
Tourism authorities downplayed the figures, arguing that 2024 set an artificially high benchmark because pent-up demand surged after the final removal of pandemic-era restrictions. Nevertheless, hotel associations fear that sustained capacity discipline could limit last-minute meeting and event business—an increasingly important revenue stream for the islands outside peak season.
The data also feed into a wider debate on sustainable aviation in Spain’s outermost regions. The Ministry of Transport is expected to publish a draft strategy early next year that will weigh carbon budgets against the Canaries’ heavy reliance on air connectivity for both tourism and resident mobility.
Whether you’re a corporate mobility manager rotating staff or a holidaymaker chasing winter sun, checking that passports, visas and ETIAS approvals are squared away before flying is just as important as finding a seat. VisaHQ’s Spain portal (https://www.visahq.com/spain/) streamlines the paperwork, letting travelers verify entry rules, complete applications online and track progress in real time—freeing them to focus on snagging those increasingly scarce Canary Islands flights.
Gran Canaria remains the archipelago’s workhorse with 404 scheduled take-offs and landings, followed by Tenerife Norte (246) and Tenerife Sur (218). Smaller islands such as La Gomera keep single-digit tallies but are holding steady year-on-year, suggesting that reductions are concentrated on leisure trunk routes rather than essential inter-island links.
For employers rotating project staff or offshore technicians via the Canaries, the cutback means fewer same-day options and potentially longer layovers on routes that rely on snake-leg itineraries through Madrid or Barcelona. Mobility teams are being advised to re-evaluate minimum-stay restrictions in corporate booking tools and to lock in Q1 2026 travel now, as airlines recalibrate winter schedules in response to higher fuel costs and the lingering Ryanair ground-handling dispute.
Tourism authorities downplayed the figures, arguing that 2024 set an artificially high benchmark because pent-up demand surged after the final removal of pandemic-era restrictions. Nevertheless, hotel associations fear that sustained capacity discipline could limit last-minute meeting and event business—an increasingly important revenue stream for the islands outside peak season.
The data also feed into a wider debate on sustainable aviation in Spain’s outermost regions. The Ministry of Transport is expected to publish a draft strategy early next year that will weigh carbon budgets against the Canaries’ heavy reliance on air connectivity for both tourism and resident mobility.
