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Almería airport continues to lose flights with two major destinations scrapped
In winter, this Andalucía airport only offers flights to six destinations and now it’s looking like a slow summer too
Almería’s airport is facing yet another round of flight cuts. This winter, the airport only offers flights to six destinations, with just one international option. And things are about to get worse in the summer as two important connections are set to disappear.
Right now, Almería’s airport is a bit of a ghost town. The car is still the most reliable way to get around, largely due to the lack of train and air services. If you want to fly internationally, you’re better off heading to Málaga or Alicante.
This latest news follows a furore that arose last week when it was announced that the three weekly morning flights to Madrid had been axed. However, Iberia quickly denied this and assured that it is a "temporary" decision due to "the low demand on domestic routes that is occurring these days" and that they will return on February 17.
But the bad news doesn’t stop there. Almería airport is set to lose its direct connection to Paris in the summer. This route, operated by Transavia, offered almost 30,000 seats and had an occupancy rate of more than 80% last summer.
Another flight that’s on the chopping block is the route to Bilbao, operated by Vueling. This one also had a high occupancy rate of nearly 90% last summer.
On the plus side, AENA, the airport authority, has noted that flight schedules change between winter and summer. The summer season doesn’t start until the last week of March, so there’s still a chance these routes could be reinstated. However, the current lack of aircraft availability is a significant hurdle for airlines, which are waiting until the last minute to finalise their schedules.
If you take a look at the winter flight schedule, the picture is bleak. The airport only has direct connections to six cities, with just one international destination:
- Barcelona (Vueling): Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday.
- London Gatwick (easyJet): Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.
- Madrid (Iberia-Air Nostrum): Daily.
- Melilla (Iberia-Air Nostrum): Daily.
- Palma de Mallorca (Iberia-Air Nostrum): Wednesdays and Saturdays.
- Sevilla (Iberia-Air Nostrum): Daily.
In the summer, things look a bit better, but the loss of the Paris and Bilbao routes is a blow. Here’s what you can expect in the summer of 2025:
- Barcelona (Vueling): Every day.
- Birmingham (Jet2.com): Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.
- Bristol (Jet2.com): Sundays.
- Bristol (easyJet): Tuesdays and Saturdays.
- Brussels Charleroi (Ryanair): Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.
- Brussels Zaventem (TUI Fly): Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays (July and August only).
- Gran Canaria (Binter): Tuesdays and Saturdays.
- Leeds (Jet2.com): Saturdays.
- London Gatwick (easyJet): Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.
- London Luton (easyJet): Wednesdays and Sundays.
- London Southend (easyJet): Tuesdays and Saturdays.
- London Stansted (Ryanair): Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Sunday.
- Luxembourg (Luxair): Tuesday and Thursday.
- Madrid (Iberia-Air Nostrum): Daily.
- Manchester (Jet2.com): Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.
- Melilla (Iberia-Air Nostrum): Daily.
- Palma (Iberia-Air Nostrum): Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Saturdays.
- Prague (smartwings): Thursdays and Sundays.
- Rotterdam (Transavia): Monday, Wednesda and Saturday.
- Sevilla (Iberia-Air Nostrum): Daily.
On the plus side, Jet2.com recently announced at Fitur that it will add almost 2,000 more seats to its summer schedule and bring forward the start of operations at Almería airport to April 12. This means direct flights to four UK airports: Manchester, Bristol, Leeds and Birmingham.
The company will offer eight weekly flights, two more than a couple of years ago. The Leeds and Birmingham routes are exclusive to Jet2.com and the company is reactivating all four routes in April to attract more British tourists, offering travel and hotel packages through Jet2holidays.
Image: Archive
