canary islands international passenger growth 2026

Canary Islands See 2% Rise in International Passengers

Steady Growth for Canary Islands Airports

A total of 2,959,639 international passengers travelled through Canary Islands airports between January and February, a figure representing a 2% increase compared to the same period in 2025, according to data published this Wednesday by Turespaña. Similarly, the Canaries received 1,504,302 international passenger arrivals in February alone, implying a rise of 2.1% compared to February last year.

Airport-Specific Breakdown

Distributed by airport, Gran Canaria welcomed 829,421 passengers in the first two months of 2026, a 3.7% increase on 2025, with nearly 412,797 in February, up 2.2%. Tenerife South recorded 1,182,206 arrivals, a year-on-year increase of 1.7%, while in February it reached 597,368 international passenger arrivals, up 2.6%. In Lanzarote, arrivals for these first two months stood at around 503,776.

National Context and Key Source Markets

Spain as a whole received the arrival of nearly 13.8 million international passengers by air between January and February 2026, an increase of 5.2% compared to the same period a year earlier. During the second month of the year, the number of foreign travellers who arrived by plane was 7.1 million, also a 5.2% increase on February 2025.

Although arrivals increased from all major source markets except Germany and the Netherlands, the year-on-year rise from Poland (+22.7%) and the positive trend from Ireland (+7.8%) and the United States (+6.8%) stood out. In the diversification of markets—’other countries’—the United Arab Emirates, China, and Brazil were notable for their volume and growth in international passenger arrivals, growing 9.3% compared to the second month of 2025.

UK and German Markets: A Contrast

Among traditional markets, the United Kingdom sent around 1.3 million international passengers, generating 19% of Spain’s total arrival flow in February, with a year-on-year advance of 3.5%. The Canary Islands were its main destination, with a 40.2% share of the total UK flow, followed by the Valencian Community and Andalusia, with shares of 16.3% and 14.5%, respectively.

From Germany, 0.8 million passengers flew—11.8% of the total—with a year-on-year decline of 1.7% in February, a drop that particularly affected the Canary Islands and Madrid. Nevertheless, the Canaries were the main recipient of German travellers, with a 35.6% share of arrivals, followed by the Balearic Islands and Catalonia, which accounted for 17.1% and 14.6% respectively. As usual, the German market leads arrivals on traditional scheduled airlines.

Other European Trends

Italy accounted for 10.9% of the passenger flow received in February—772,296—with year-on-year growth of 7.4%, which primarily benefited the Community of Madrid and Catalonia, which together received 59.9% of the total Italian flow. Valencia recorded a notable increase (+18.7%) of 16,773 additional passengers this month.

Furthermore, France generated 7.4% of total passengers, showing a year-on-year increase of 1.6% in February. Madrid captured 31.4% of total arrivals from France and Catalonia, 27.5% of the flow. All regions, except Catalonia and the Balearic Islands, increased the arrival of international passengers from this market, with Madrid and Andalusia standing out.

Another decline was seen in passengers arriving from the Netherlands, who represented 4.4% of the total, with a 4.7% drop in February, affecting practically all regions except the Canary Islands, which recorded a 3.3% increase. Their main destinations were the Valencian Community and Andalusia with shares of 21.8% and 20.3%, respectively.

Regional Performance and Leading Airports

In February, the six main regions accounted for 97.7% of total arrivals, all registering increases except the Balearic Islands. For its part, the Community of Madrid recorded the most intense rise (+7.9%) and the Canary Islands posted the mildest increase (+2.1%).

Regarding airports, Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas tops the list, receiving 1.9 million passengers, up 7.9%. Furthermore, the airport that experienced the highest year-on-year growth was Seville, with 11.8%.

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