Ryanair and Iberia, leaders in passengers, with Binter recovering pre-pandemic levels

The Ryanair and Iberia airline groups lead air traffic in Spain in the first quarter, with 6.9 million passengers, 80% of the pre-covid volume, and 4.8 million, 77%, respectively, according to Aena data, recalculated to eliminate the effect of double counting of domestic flights.

Both groups are therefore getting closer and closer to their pre-pandemic levels, although companies such as Air France-KLM, Binter Canarias or Plus Ultra Líneas Aéreas obtain higher recovery percentages and others, such as Volotea, even already exceed the 2019 level.

The latter is experiencing a 14% increase, up to 164,883 passengers, driven by domestic traffic, which grows by 62% compared to 2019, with 96,850 customers.

For its part, the Franco-Dutch group recovered 89% of pre-covid customers in Spain, with a total of 1.4 million; Binter Canarias, 99%, with 831,337 (of which 809,358 flew on domestic routes, 0.6% more than in 2019), and Plus Ultra, 83%, with 22,602.

Ryanair leads international traffic in Spain, with 5.6 million passengers, a 77% recovery compared to 2019, and the Iberia group ranks first in national traffic (Iberia, Iberia Express and Air Nostrum) and Vueling.

However, of the three companies, the Irish low-cost company is the only one that already exceeds, by 2%, with 1.3 million passengers, the figure recorded on its domestic flights three years ago.

The Iberia group added 2.7 million customers on its international routes until March, 74% of the pre-covid, of which more than one million flew outside of Europe, 72% of those in 2019, and 2.1 million were national, an 81% recovery.

Vueling transported 3.4 million passengers, recovering 63% of the pre-pandemic volume, of which almost 1.5 million were international, 54% of those in 2019, and more than 1.9 million, national, 73%.

Air Europa exceeded 1.7 million passengers, recovering 62% of the 2019 volume, of which 995,508 corresponded to its international routes, 65% of those in 2019, -of which 473,029 flew outside of Europe, 82% of the pre-covid (a recovery above Iberia)-, and 754,293, to national routes, 57%.

The British 'low cost' easyJet, which reached almost 1.9 million customers, 60% of the pre-covid, is positioned ahead of Air Europa, while the Lufthansa group follows, with more than 1.6 million