Malaga Airport is heading towards yet another record-breaking year after welcoming more than 10.4 million passengers in the first five months of 2026.

The Costa del Sol gateway handled 10,455,108 travellers between January and May, representing a 7.1% increase compared to the same period last year.

The figures come before the start of the peak summer season and put the airport firmly on track to surpass the record 27 million passengers who passed through its terminals in 2025.

The airport’s long-term capacity is estimated at around 30 million passengers annually, with expansion plans already in the pipeline.

May alone saw 2.75 million passengers use the airport, making it one of the busiest months in its history and marking a 6.3% increase compared to May 2025.

International travel continues to drive the airport’s growth.

Of the 2.74 million passengers travelling on commercial flights during May, more than 2.33 million were flying to or from destinations outside Spain.

British travellers remained by far the airport’s largest market, accounting for 659,628 passengers during the month.

Germany was the second-largest international market with 213,641 passengers, followed by the Netherlands (161,372), France (152,611) and Italy (146,786).

Overall, Malaga Airport handled 72,350 take-offs and landings during the first five months of the year, a 4.3% increase on 2025.

Despite the rapid growth, airport director Pedro Bendala has insisted there is still plenty of room for expansion before capacity becomes a serious concern.

Speaking this week, he stressed that passenger numbers alone do not determine an airport’s limits.

‘The 30 million figure is an annual flow of passengers, not a direct measure of capacity,’ he explained.

‘What we measure is hourly capacity, and we are nowhere near exhausting that. There is still plenty of room for growth.’

Bendala acknowledged that there are occasional peak days when passenger numbers approach 100,000, but said the airport still has spare capacity during quieter periods.

‘We will gradually fill those valleys between peak hours,’ he said.

‘By the time we reach a plateau and all the peak periods are fully occupied, the planned expansion will already be available.’

The airport’s continued growth has been partly attributed to increased flight demand following instability in the Middle East, which has encouraged more travellers to choose Spain as a holiday destination.

Aena also noted that some passenger growth earlier in the year was linked to travellers switching from rail to air transport following January’s major rail accident.

Across the wider Aena network, airports handled more than 150.8 million passengers during the first five months of 2026, an increase of 4% compared to the same period last year.

But Malaga remains one of the standout performers, reinforcing its position as one of Spain’s fastest-growing and most important international airports.

Read more Andalucia news at the Spanish Eye.