Walter Finch
SPAIN’S rocketing economy has in large part been driven by a booming tourist sector which welcomed a record-breaking 44.5 million international tourists in the first half of 2025.
It marks a 14% increase compared to 2024, and forecasts suggest the country will just fall shy of receiving 100 million international travellers this year.
So it’s curious that amid this rising wave, one major Andalucian airport positioned near some of Spain’s most desirable locations has failed to ride it.
Jerez Airport has bucked the trend of Spain’s record-breaking tourism surge, posting yet another month of disappointing passenger figures that cement its position as Andalucia’s worst-performing terminal.
READ MORE: Ryanair makes welcome changes to carry-on luggage size after bruising battle with Spain’s airports
The primary airport in Cadiz province, and the gateway not just to the provincial capital but the charming Costa de la Luz, it registered just 106,430 passengers in August – traditionally its busiest month – representing a 1.8% drop compared to the same period last year.
The decline means Jerez has now posted an 8.2% decrease in passenger numbers for 2025 so far, making it the only major Andalucian airport to significantly lose ground.
The figures paint a stark contrast with Spain’s wider tourism boom, where international tourist arrivals exceeded 44.5 million in the first six months of 2025, with growth of 4.7% compared to the same period in 2024 and tourist spending soaring to an astonishing €59 billion.
While neighbouring Malaga Airport has grown 7.8% this year and Sevilla has posted a healthy 4.6% increase, Jerez finds itself in the company of only tiny Almeria Airport, which has managed just a 0.3% decline, among Andalucian terminals posting negative growth.
The rot set in with the departure of budget carrier Ryanair at the end of March, which severed the airport’s connections to Barcelona and Palma de Mallorca.
Despite Vueling stepping up operations slightly, the Catalan capital route has haemorrhaged approximately 47,000 passengers while the Balearic connection has lost around 12,000 travellers, with flight frequencies down 31% and 24% respectively.
Even more damaging has been the steady decline of the crucial Madrid connection, which despite a slight August uptick, has shed 13.5% of passengers and 5.4% of its regular commercial operations compared to 2024.
The airport’s struggles come as other similar-sized Spanish terminals post growth.
READ MORE: Spain’s record housing market far from peaking – ‘prices will reach unprecedented levels’
Vigo has surged 7.8% this year, Murcia is up 2.3%, and Zaragoza has grown 3%, leaving only Santander performing worse than Jerez with a 2.8% decline.
Airport bosses will take some comfort from the improved German connections, where increased operations by Lufthansa group’s Eurowings and Condor Airlines have delivered a 6% rise in flights to 1,280 operations, carrying around 205,000 passengers – some 5,000 more than last year.
The arrival of British operator Jet2 in May has also helped soften the blow of Ryanair’s London-Stansted withdrawal.
The Yorkshire-based carrier has transported 15,700 passengers on its three routes between May and August, almost matching the 17,300 that Ryanair carried in the same period last year.
But these bright spots cannot mask the broader malaise at an airport that once harboured ambitions of becoming a major gateway to southern Spain.
As the country enjoys what experts predict could be at least €135 billion in tourism-related revenue this year, Jerez finds itself increasingly marginalised.
The continued decline has prompted renewed calls in Congress for tax reductions and increased investment in the airport, with regional politicians warning that without urgent action, Jerez risks falling further behind.
Click here to read more Travel News from The Olive Press.
The Parque Nacional de Donana and the Parque Natural de Alcornocales are the hinterland of Jerez Airport. Nice places with birds and deer, but no people. The airports of Seville plus Faro (Portugal) plus probably Gibraltar are enough to serve this empty stretch of South-Western Andalusia. Between airports of Seville and Jerez its just a 1:10 hour ride on highway AP4.
At last, another part if Spain unaffected by tourism! (The NW being the other area)
As it happens we are iff to Cadiz)Jerez next week, si look forward to the tranquility!
Can’t have it both ways: complain about too many tourists and in the same breath too few!
At last, another part of Spain unaffected by tourism! (The NW being the other area)
As it happens we are off to Cadiz and Jerez next week, so look forward to the tranquility!
Can’t have it both ways: complain about too many tourists and in the same breath too few!