Compiled with the help of artificial intelligence, based on Spanish-language information. Source below the article.
Record numbers expected for summer return
The Canary Islands are gearing up for one of the busiest weekends of the summer as thousands of holidaymakers head home. Aena, the airport operator, has scheduled a total of 5,134 take-offs and landings across the archipelago’s eight airports between Friday 28 and Monday 31 August 2026. This marks a 2.5% increase (126 additional flights) on the 5,008 flights operated during the same period last year.
Island-by-island breakdown
Gran Canaria will see the highest volume of traffic, with 1,475 operations – 65 more than in 2025. Tenerife North follows closely with 978 flights (up 40), while Lanzarote will handle 818 (up 10) and Tenerife South 817 (down 29 compared with last year).
Further afield, Fuerteventura expects 636 flights (up 18), La Palma 290 (up 20), and El Hierro 88 (up 2). La Gomera rounds off the list with 32 operations, unchanged from the previous year.
National picture
Across Spain as a whole, Aena’s network anticipates 29,592 operations between Friday 28 and Monday 31 August 2026 – a 2.6% rise on the 28,826 flights recorded during the equivalent period last year. Sunday 30 August is set to be the busiest day nationwide, with 7,492 scheduled flights, closely followed by Saturday 29 (7,434) and Friday 28 (7,433). Monday 31 August will bring the operation to a close with 7,233 movements.
Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas Airport will lead the national operation with 4,972 flights over the four-day period, up from 4,671 in 2025, reaching its peak on Friday 28 with 1,266 operations. Josep Tarradellas Barcelona-El Prat follows with 4,421 flights, while Palma de Mallorca has 4,053 scheduled – identical to last year’s figure.
On the peninsula’s southern and eastern coasts, Málaga-Costa del Sol Airport will manage 2,507 flights during this return operation, while Alicante-Elche Miguel Hernández will handle 1,779 arrivals and departures, with Saturday expected to be its busiest day.
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