The president of the Balearic Islands Travel Agents’ Business Association (AVIBA), Pedro Fiol has told the Bulletin that the British have saved the summer season. “There was a surge in British visitors in June/August - more than Germans, incredible,” he said.
“And what is very important looking forward is that Jet2 and easyJet Holidays have said they would not be applying fuel surcharges this summer. Hurrah for the Brits!!!,” he added. “But things are very complicated. I’ve said in many media outlets that we tour operators have all reduced our margins.
"To some extent, in certain operations, that has been the case. But let’s be clear about one thing: the more the commissionable portion costs, the more everyone earns. Taxes, which aren’t commissionable, are another matter. But the more a hotel service costs, the more the entire distribution chain earns.
“And we need to be careful with British customers – if the situation in the Middle East returns to normal and they lose their fear of travelling to other destinations… rest assured, they’ll stop coming,” he warned.
The Balearics handled 14.4 million passengers arriving from international airports between January and September 2026, a 2.6 per cent increase on the same period last year, whilst in September alone arrivals totalled 2.2 million, also up 2.6 per cent.
According to provisional data from Turespaña, compiled from Aena’s administrative records, the region accounted for 15.8 per cent of international passengers arriving in Spain during the first nine months of the year.
In September, the Balearics were the third autonomous community with the highest volume of international arrivals, behind Madrid and Catalonia, and received 19.6 per cent of the national total.
Between January and September, Palma Airport received 10.9 million passengers from international airports, 2.5 per cent more than in the same period of 2025.
In September alone, Palma airport recorded 1,670,680 international arrivals, an increase of 2.2 per cent, and ranked as the third-busiest Spanish airport in terms of passenger numbers from this source.
Ahead of it were Madrid-Barajas, with 2,481,142 international passengers, and Barcelona-El Prat, with 2,139,275.
Ibiza Airport recorded a total of 2,445,419 international passengers during the first nine months of the year, 1.7 per cent more than in the same period of the previous year. In September, the Ibiza terminal received 415,421 travellers from overseas airports, representing a year-on-year increase of 1.9 per cent.
Low-cost carriers carried 10,107,294 international passengers to the Balearics between January and September, 3.6 per cent more than in the same period of 2025. Meanwhile, traditional airlines recorded 4,279,343 arrivals, representing a year-on-year increase of 0.4 per cent.
As a result, low-cost airlines accounted for 70.3 per cent of international passengers arriving on the islands during the first nine months of the year. Throughout September, the Balearics remained the leading Spanish destination for passengers travelling from airports in the United Kingdom and Germany.
The islands accounted for 25.3 per cent of arrivals in Spain from the United Kingdom, representing a year-on-year increase of 1.7 per cent. As for the German market, the region received 45.8 per cent of passengers travelling from that country to Spanish airports. Spain as a whole received 11,518,091 international passengers in September, 5.1 per cent more than in the same month of 2025.
Turespaña points out that these statistics include all passengers arriving from international airports, including those resident in Spain, and should therefore not be confused with figures for foreign tourists.