How to get to Spain
Getting to Spain is no sweat at all. There are hundreds of flights to Spain from UK airports taking off daily during summer, and just as many to return you home.
No matter which corner of the country you plan to visit, whether Bilbao in the north, Gibraltar in the south or the Canaries off the coast of Morocco, you’ll be able to book a direct flight to Spain from the UK. And, with more and more carriers keen to capitalise on Spain’s profitable airspace, the number of scheduled flights to Spain looks set to rise throughout 2016 and 2017.
No matter which corner of the country you plan to visit, whether Bilbao in the north, Gibraltar in the south or the Canaries off the coast of Morocco, you’ll be able to book a direct flight to Spain from the UK. And, with more and more carriers keen to capitalise on Spain’s profitable airspace, the number of scheduled flights to Spain looks set to rise throughout 2016 and 2017.
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Flights to Spain’s cities
The largest and busiest airport in the country is Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas Airport (MAD). In 2015, more than one million passengers flew between London Heathrow and Madrid, with just under one million flying between Madrid and London Gatwick.
More than half of Madrid airport’s traffic comes from Spain’s national carrier, Iberia Airlines. Iberia also provides cheap flights courtesy of its low-cost sister carrier, Iberia Express, which operates flights to Spain from Manchester, London Gatwick, Edinburgh and Birmingham.
Barcelona-El Prat Airport (BCN), more commonly referred to as Barcelona Airport, is the next-busiest airport in the country, with airlines including British Airways, easyJet, Monarch, Vueling and Norwegian Air Shuttle operating flights between the UK and Barcelona.
Fly to the summer sun
While Madrid and Barcelona are busy year-round international hubs, the airports near Spain’s popular sun-and-sand resorts see an increase in traffic come summer.
Fly to Palma de Majorca’s International Airport (PMI) with easyJet, Ryanair, Monarch, Norwegian, FlyBe or Thomas Cook for access to resorts such as Alcúdia, Puerto Pollensa, Cala D’Or and Palma Nova.
Málaga Airport (AGP), meanwhile, is the place to fly if you want to get to the perennially popular Costa del Sol. For cheap flights to Spain’s Costa del Sol, compare flight deals from low-cost carriers such as Ryanair, Jet2, Monarch and easyJet on TravelSupermarket before you book.
As a holiday hotspot, the Costa del Sol is served by multiple airlines on a daily basis, so you can usually choose between morning, afternoon and evening flights to Spain’s popular costa.
Less-travelled routes
Travellers who buck the trend and head for less-touristy parts will face a more limited selection of cheap flights to Spain. UK travellers hoping to get to Granada, for instance, must book flights with British Airways or Iberia from London City.
In the past, British visitors to San Sebastián had to fly into Biarritz and hop across the France-Spain border, but from late July 2016, visitors can fly direct with Air Nostrum’s seasonal service from London Luton.
Flight times to Spain
The duration of most flights to Spain from the UK falls somewhere around the two-three hour mark but, of course, the amount of time you spend in the air will vary according to your departure and end destination.
London to Barcelona, for instance, is just a two-hour hop, whereas Edinburgh to Lanzarote will clock in at almost five hours.
Once you’ve booked your cheap flights to Spain find out how to get from the nation’s airports to your destination on our how to get around in Spain page
If you’re after your own wheels, find out what you need to know on our Spain car hire page.