Vueling offers Spain’s airports 1.5 million new passenger seats in wake of Ryanair withdrawals

VUELING has announced a major boost to its winter schedule in Spain, adding 1.5 million seats across Santiago de Compostela and Tenerife Norte.

The expansion comes just weeks after Ryanair confirmed it will cut capacity and close bases in both airports, sparking warnings of a “tourism disaster” for regional Spain.

Vueling, part of the IAG group, says it will operate its biggest ever winter season at the two hubs, with 578,000 seats from Santiago and almost 900,000 from Tenerife Norte.

READ MORE: Ryanair threatens ‘tourism disaster’ for Spain as it directs two million seats to rival holiday destinations

In Santiago, capacity will rise by 15% compared with 2024. The airline will add an extra aircraft between mid-December and early January, which will be based permanently from summer 2026. 

Routes to Barcelona, Palma de Mallorca, Sevilla, Malaga and the Canary Islands will see more weekly flights, while Alicante and Zurich return to the schedule.

READ MORE: Ryanair pulls out of two airports and withdraws one million seats due to tax dispute in Spain

Tenerife Norte will see an 11% increase in seats, with 25 new weekly frequencies. Connections to Barcelona, Sevilla, Malaga, Alicante and Valencia will all be strengthened, alongside existing routes to Bilbao, Granada, Asturias and Paris.

Vueling’s route planning director Jordi Pla said the expansion will secure vital links. “We want to maintain and strengthen connectivity for the Canary Islands and Galicia all year round,” he said.

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