Summer travel begins: flights up, train down in Spain's first 'Operación Salida'

The first 'Operación Salida' of summer 2026 in Spain sees 22,290 flights scheduled across Aena airports from July 3–5, a 4.47% increase over the same period in 2025 Source: El Mundo, ABC. In the Canary Islands, 3,925 flights are planned, 106 more than last year Source: ABC.

Air travel

• Madrid-Barajas leads with 3,726 flights, followed by Barcelona-El Prat (3,355), Palma de Mallorca (3,070), Málaga (1,854), and Alicante (1,365) Source: El Mundo, ABC.
• Sunday is the busiest day with 7,474 flights Source: ABC.

Train travel

In contrast, rail traffic declines: 3,125 trains will run, down 1.4% from 3,170 in 2025 Source: El Mundo. Renfe offers 348,000 seats. The drop is attributed to operational restrictions following the Adamuz and Gelida incidents Source: El Mundo.

Capacity management

Aena plans to redistribute slots at Madrid and Barcelona airports from summer 2027 to optimize capacity during peak hours, without affecting existing airline rights Source: El Mundo.