With Britons facing having to pay six pounds for a visa to enter the European Union in the not to distant future, air fares between the UK and Spain and forecast to rise substantially this year across the board, in particular with low cost carriers.
According to data from global travel intelligence firm Mabrian, low-cost air routes fares, which account for 68.5% of the number of seats available on flights from and to Spain, are pushing up flight prices for 2024 summer season by 42% for this summer.
Looking at published prices on 24 April for flights between 1 June and 15 September, Mabrian said the average fare was €210 (£180), or €182 (£156) with a low-cost carrier.
Mabrian Director of Marketing and Communication Carlos Cendra said: “The increases in average flight prices we are observing reflects, on the one hand, the rising operational costs of airlines; as well as the growing demand to and from Spain for this summer season.
“There is still room for adjustment for these rates on these traditionally summer routes, since we are dealing dynamic prices that will vary over the coming weeks, responding to the behaviour of demand.”
Low-cost airline flights drive the price increase in United Kingdom (+42.2%, with an average price of €182, +11.3% increase on conventional airlines), and also in Germany (+12.4 % to €163, compared to the 0.4% decrease in the average fares of conventional airlines).
The Netherlands is the only market studied in which the average prices of both conventional airlines (10.4%, €255) and low-cost airlines (7.4%, €146) grow.
In the cases of Italy and France, although average fares rise in low-cost seats (+18.3% and +19.5%, respectively), the decrease in prices on Italian regular lines of 39.3% and of 13.1% in the French, push average rates down.
In the case of flights departing from Spanish airports, the prices of low-cost seats to United Kingdom, Germany and France are behind the increases of +30.4%, +5.3% and +0.8% in those markets.
The increases in fares are particularly notable on low-cost routes to Great Britain (+38.4%), France (+22.2%) and Germany (+12.3%). Conversely, in Italy, despite the +19.5% increase in the average prices of low-cost flights, the -37.1% reduction in the average prices of legacy airlines lowers by -1.9% the average fares of the connectivity between Spain and Italy.
Only in the case of flights to Portugal, one of the favourite travel destinations of Spaniards, fares increased by +4.5%, reflected both in traditional airlines (+1.5%, €138) and in low cost (+10.5%, €84).