Malaga Airport smashes April record with 2.6 million passengers — and Brits account for nearly a quarter of them 

MALAGA Airport has smashed April records with 2.6 million passengers passing through last month. 

The Costa del Sol airport handled 2,613,939 passengers in April with Brits accounting for nearly a quarter of them. 

Over 585,000 passengers from the UK flew into Malaga last month. Germany was the closest behind Britain but still significantly lower with 176,325 travellers. 

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While Malaga is known for being a busy airport, its passenger numbers have risen recently with its April statistics seeing a 9.5% passenger rise since last year. 

Already in 2026 the airport has surpassed 7.7 million passengers and is therefore consolidating itself as one of the biggest touristic and economic leaders in the country. 

It is the fourth biggest airport in Spain and one of the fastest growing ones in the Aena network which manages 46 Spanish airports and 15 overseas.

Malaga Airport’s flyer usage in the first quarter of 2026 is an increase of 7.4% with respect to the same period last year.

Its number of landings and takeoffs have also risen by 4.8%.

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This growth is particularly impressive when compared with other Spanish airports, many of which are showing signs of deceleration or even setbacks. 

Gran Canaria and Tenerife have witnessed a decrease of 2.8% and 8.2% respectively but Malaga has held strong. 

The only airport that has surpassed its growth is Alicante, which has increased by 10.9%. 

Despite this growth Alicante still has not reached Malaga’s passenger numbers.

Only Madrid-Barajas (5.7 million passengers), Barcelona-El Prat (5.1 million passengers) and Palma de Mallorca (3 million passengers) have surpassed Malaga’s infrastructure in the last month. 

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Across Spain, most commercial flights continue to be international.

In Malaga, of the 53,015 commercial flights handled so far this year, 41,277 have been international. 

The aviation industry has suggested that if Malaga Airport maintains its current growth rate throughout the peak season 2026 could become the best year in its history. 

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