The Airline Association (ALA), the leading organisation in the sector in Spain with 85% of air traffic, has announced today that a record winter season is forecast for the Balearics with more than ten million seats scheduled between November and March, an increase of 8.5% compared to the same period in the 2023/2024 season.
By islands, winter seats at Palma airport will rise from 7.2 million last year to 7.8 million, an increase of 8.4 %. Ibiza will go from 1.6 million seats to 1.7 million (an increase of 8.2 %). The biggest percentage variation will be experienced by Mahón airport with 10.3 %: it will go from 685,722 seats to 756,675. Flights in Palma will be reduced, although more people will arrive because the load capacity of the planes will be greater.
This evolution of arrivals in the low season is in line with the objectives of deseasonalisation set by the Balearic administrations in order to decongest the summer while boosting the winter, although the central months of the year continue to see arrivals also increase year on year. However, as far as 2024 is concerned, the growth was greater in the first part of the year than in the summer months.
The ALA data indicate an overall growth in Spain higher than that of the Balearics, with an expected supply of 137 million seats, 11.6% more than last season. The Canary Islands and Andalusia are the two regions with the highest growth, 13% and 14% respectively. However, according to ALA president Javier Gándara, practically all regions show a positive outlook.