Vueling nears Ryanair for top airline spot in Spain

Vueling is approaching Ryanair as the largest airline in Spain by seat capacity for the upcoming summer season. According to data from CEHAT and PwC, Vueling has scheduled 47.3 million seats for the July-September period, trailing Ryanair's 47.6 million seats by only 300,000 seats.

This narrow gap is attributed to a 6.8% increase in Vueling's programming, while Ryanair's growth has been limited to 1.3%. The slowdown for Ryanair is linked to ongoing disputes with the airport operator Aena, which has led the company to reduce capacity on certain routes deemed less profitable due to airport fees. In contrast, the IAG subsidiary is leveraging its networks in Madrid and Barcelona to expand its market presence.

The broader aviation sector in Spain is seeing widespread growth. Iberia is expected to increase programming by 8.7%, Air Europa by 8.6%, and other carriers like Binter, Jet2, and easyJet are also showing significant increases. Connectivity from Italy and the United Kingdom is projected to rise by 10.8% and 7.7% respectively, while the Netherlands is the only market expected to see a decrease in connections, dropping by 3%.