Malaga Airport is heading into winter with a boost to international connections, as Ryanair adds six routes and more than 92,000 seats while other Spanish airports face capacity cuts. EWN previously reported on Ryanair’s cuts to regional airports across Spain, making Malaga’s expansion particularly notable.
The airline’s winter 2026/27 schedule will offer a total of 82 routes from Malaga-Costa del Sol Airport and more than 3.4 million seats between late October and March. Promotional fares start at €24.99 for bookings made by Monday, October 19, subject to availability. Ryanair has published the details in its official winter 2026 schedule announcement for Malaga.
New connections around Europe
New direct connections will link Malaga with Trieste, Venice and Turin in Italy, Katowice in Poland, Košice in Slovakia and Hamburg in Germany. Ryanair will also increase services on 31 existing routes, including Rome, Cologne, Porto, Krakow and Budapest.
The expansion comes as the Costa del Sol strengthens its position as a leading tourism destination. More than 11 million passengers arrived at Malaga Airport between January and September, up 6.7 per cent on the same period last year, according to Malaga Provincial Council. International arrivals rose 7.3 per cent, outpacing the 3.7 per cent increase in domestic traffic. The council’s latest figures on Costa del Sol tourism and air connectivity provide further details.
The outlook for the final three months of 2026 is strong, with close to 3.7 million seats expected at the airport, 7.3 per cent more than a year earlier. International capacity is forecast to rise by 9 per cent, with flights connecting Malaga to 138 cities in 37 countries through 52 airlines.
Ryanair supports 6,800 jobs in Malaga
Ryanair, with a 34 per cent share of Malaga Airport’s market, will base its winter operations on 15 aircraft. The company values this investment at $1.5 billion and says its Malaga operation supports more than 6,800 local jobs. It carried more than 3.56 million passengers to and from Malaga in the first nine months of this year, a 9.7 per cent rise.
The announcement followed a presentation attended by Ryanair, Malaga Provincial Council, the regional government and Malaga City Council, underlining the importance of cooperation in maintaining airport growth. While Ryanair has criticised airport charges elsewhere in Spain and cut capacity at some regional airports, Malaga is gaining routes, seats and choice for travellers. EWN has also reported on plans for an €830 million expansion at Malaga Airport.
For Costa del Sol residents and holidaymakers, the message is: winter travel options are growing, with more European destinations and limited-time low fares.