EasyJet launches five new routes at Malaga Airport and offers 11% more seats this summer

Pilar Martínez

Malaga

Tuesday, 1 April 2025, 15:26 | Updated 16:19h.

The British airline easyJet continues to expand its operations at Malaga Airport. The company's general manager for Southern Europe, Javier Gándara, has announced that the airline has added five more destinations to the flights it already offers from the Costa del Sol facility, bringing the total to 23. In addition, between now and October, easyJet will have 2.1 million seats avaialble on its flights, some 11% more than in 2024.

Three aircraft will be officially based at Malaga Airport. Two new direct connections were launched on 31 March - to Newcastle and Zurich, with two and three flights a week, respectively. Rabat, with two flights a week, was added the day before, while Leeds, with one flight a week, will come into force from 2 April. Last but not least, a flight to Marrakech, with two frequencies per week, will start operating from 4 April.

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Gándara is not the first person who appreciates Malaga as a great global connection. The capital of the Costa del Sol is the third seasonal base for easyJet in Spain, following Palma de Mallorca and Alicante. "We have been operating here for 25 years and we want to continue offering affordable and comfortable connections to attractive destinations for both tourism and business trips, making Malaga an essential destination for Europe," he said.

Gándara also stated that adding Zurich and Marrakech aims to expand connections beyond the UK - a country that accounts for 30% of all passengers at Malaga Airport.

Gándara's speech was part of a presentation, where he was joined by Esperanza González (CEO of Tourism and Planning Costa del Sol), José Carlos Escribano (president of the Chamber of Commerce) and Yolanda de Aguilar (the Junta de Andalucía's general secretary for tourism).

De Aguilar specifically stressed the importance of tourism in generating income and creating jobs. In this particular case, easyJet has contributed to the creation of 200 jobs. According to her, Malaga Airport needs to undergo expansion in order to accommodate the increase in passenger volume and flights.

Gándara said that airports are financed by taxes paid by airlines and passengers, not by all residents' taxes. He stressed the importance of improving the Costa del Sol facility, which can be oversaturated at certain times of the day or during certain periods.

The presentation also talked about the record figures that Malaga Airport strives to achieve and exceeds. Last year it closed with more than 25 million passengers, when the maximum of the facility is 30 million. Figures so close to the limit highlight the importance of expansion and urgent planning.

Forecasts for this summer are favourable, according to Gándara. He estimated that flights will reach 90% of their capacity. As long as the weather permits it, the Easter holidays are also expected to see a high flow of passengers. Overall, all agreed that 2025 will exceed 2024 in numbers.