From Saturday, 1 November 2025, the airports of La Palma (SPC) and Fuerteventura (FUE) are staying open much longer: 07:00-23:00 local time, with the possibility of stretching to midnight on request. The change—which entered into force at the very start of Spain’s long All-Saints weekend—raises each facility’s theoretical daily slot capacity by roughly 20 %, giving airlines the operational head-room they have been demanding since the post-pandemic rebound in leisure and VFR traffic to the archipelago.
Behind the measure is months of lobbying by Binter, Iberia Express and several EU low-cost carriers, which argued that tight curfews were pushing late-running flights into costly diversions or overnight delays. Aena’s technical study concluded that adding 1½ hours in the evening at La Palma and 30 minutes at Fuerteventura could be handled with existing staffing once new biometric border-control kiosks (installed for the Entry/Exit System) go live later this month.
![Canary Islands extend airport operating hours to boost inter-island and international connectivity]()
For business travellers, the extra window means same-day returns between the Canaries and mainland hubs become realistic again for winter itineraries; shippers gain later departure options for high-value perishables such as flowers and chilled fish. Tourism boards also expect more weekend city-break packages—especially from Germany and the United Kingdom—because aircraft can now position after 22:00 without incurring fines.
Airlines have moved quickly. Binter loaded two additional late-evening rotations to Tenerife Norte and Gran Canaria, while Ryanair announced a new twice-weekly Birmingham-Fuerteventura service that lands at 22:20 on Saturdays. Aena estimates the change will generate up to €12 million a year in aeronautical and commercial revenue, money it says will be reinvested in passenger-flow digitisation ahead of the EU-wide EES/ETIAS switch-over in 2026.
Behind the measure is months of lobbying by Binter, Iberia Express and several EU low-cost carriers, which argued that tight curfews were pushing late-running flights into costly diversions or overnight delays. Aena’s technical study concluded that adding 1½ hours in the evening at La Palma and 30 minutes at Fuerteventura could be handled with existing staffing once new biometric border-control kiosks (installed for the Entry/Exit System) go live later this month.
For business travellers, the extra window means same-day returns between the Canaries and mainland hubs become realistic again for winter itineraries; shippers gain later departure options for high-value perishables such as flowers and chilled fish. Tourism boards also expect more weekend city-break packages—especially from Germany and the United Kingdom—because aircraft can now position after 22:00 without incurring fines.
Airlines have moved quickly. Binter loaded two additional late-evening rotations to Tenerife Norte and Gran Canaria, while Ryanair announced a new twice-weekly Birmingham-Fuerteventura service that lands at 22:20 on Saturdays. Aena estimates the change will generate up to €12 million a year in aeronautical and commercial revenue, money it says will be reinvested in passenger-flow digitisation ahead of the EU-wide EES/ETIAS switch-over in 2026.
