Although Christmas Day is traditionally the quietest of the festive period, Aena expects 3,515 flights to operate on 25 December—an 8.7 % increase on last year, fuelled by strong VFR (visiting-friends-and-relatives) demand and late-season city-break offers. Madrid leads with 878 movements, 61 more than 2024, while Barcelona handles 646.
The uptick reflects airlines’ confidence in Spain’s resilient domestic and short-haul markets. Ryanair has kept 95 % of its winter capacity active, and Iberia Express notes that routes to the Canaries are selling at near-summer load factors. Ground-handling crews report stable staffing after unions agreed to defer strike action until January.
For those travelling on short notice, ensuring all documentation is in order remains essential. VisaHQ’s online platform (https://www.visahq.com/spain/) streamlines visa and passport services for Spain-bound passengers, offering expedited processing and real-time status updates—particularly useful if plans need adjusting around the expanded holiday flight schedule.
![Christmas Day Still Busy: 3,515 Flights Scheduled Across Spain, Up 9 % on 2024]()
For expatriate families, the added capacity makes same-day travel between mainland hubs and islands feasible, but travellers should note reduced public-transport timetables. Business travellers returning for year-end closings may benefit from lower fares on 25 December itself, historically priced 15-20 % below surrounding days.
Aena warns that fog and potential ATC staffing shortages in France could create knock-on delays; companies should ensure travellers have EU261 delay-care instructions and insurance details handy.
From a mobility-tax perspective, assignees spending Christmas in Spain should track presence days; exceeding 183 days in 2025 triggers Spanish tax residency even if most workdays were remote from abroad.
The uptick reflects airlines’ confidence in Spain’s resilient domestic and short-haul markets. Ryanair has kept 95 % of its winter capacity active, and Iberia Express notes that routes to the Canaries are selling at near-summer load factors. Ground-handling crews report stable staffing after unions agreed to defer strike action until January.
For those travelling on short notice, ensuring all documentation is in order remains essential. VisaHQ’s online platform (https://www.visahq.com/spain/) streamlines visa and passport services for Spain-bound passengers, offering expedited processing and real-time status updates—particularly useful if plans need adjusting around the expanded holiday flight schedule.
For expatriate families, the added capacity makes same-day travel between mainland hubs and islands feasible, but travellers should note reduced public-transport timetables. Business travellers returning for year-end closings may benefit from lower fares on 25 December itself, historically priced 15-20 % below surrounding days.
Aena warns that fog and potential ATC staffing shortages in France could create knock-on delays; companies should ensure travellers have EU261 delay-care instructions and insurance details handy.
From a mobility-tax perspective, assignees spending Christmas in Spain should track presence days; exceeding 183 days in 2025 triggers Spanish tax residency even if most workdays were remote from abroad.
