AESA has approved 205 flight programs for the winter season, 6% more

• Predictably, the growing trend of these airline-planned operations will be reflected in the total number of commercial operations for the winter season.
• This program allows the direct connection of Spain with airports in 50 countries outside the European Union, highlighting new routes with Tanzania, Bosnia Herzegovina, Montenegro and Vietnam.
• Approved services involve airlines from 40 countries, with 175 approved programs for passenger transportation and 30 for air cargo.

Madrid, 4 November 2025 (AESA).

The State Aviation Safety Agency (AESA) has authorized a total of 205 flight programs for the winter season, an increase of about 6% over the same period of the previous year. These authorizations are made in response to the operation requests submitted by the airlines for the IATA W25 winter season, which began on October 26. 

Of this total, 107 correspond to services operated in-house to third countries outside the European Union (EU), and 98 to services under codeshare agreements, that is, alliances between airlines to jointly transport their passengers. Services between airports in EU Member States do not require prior authorisation.

It should be noted that a flight program includes the operations planned by an airline whose schedule and airports of origin/destination are repeated every week, constituting a systematic series.

The data reflect an increasing trend which is also expected to be reflected in the total number of commercial operations to be carried out, although the operations carried out under the air services programmes do not represent the totality of commercial operations. 

New connections

Of the services operated in-house, 84 programmes correspond to scheduled flights, 23 to charter flights – the tickets of which are not purchased directly from airlines – and the rest to operations under code-share agreements. In view of the nature of the service to be provided, 175 programmes have been dedicated to the transport of passengers and 30 exclusively to the transport of air cargo.

Regarding the operating companies and connections of the authorized flights, the approved services involve airlines from around 40 countries, allowing direct connections between Spain and airports from around 50 countries outside the European Union. If you add to these services the operations authorized under codeshare agreements, the scope of the connections is extended to more than 130 countries.

As a novelty compared to the previous winter season, it is worth mentioning the authorization of new routes to countries such as Tanzania, Bosnia Herzegovina, Montenegro, thus increasing activity with the Balkan area. In addition, connections with Chinese cities have increased, such as the destinations of Wenzhou, Chongquing, Shenzen, Hangzhou or Chengdu. On the other hand, for the first time a direct route with the city of Ho Chi Minh (Vietnam) has been authorized.

These data confirm the role of Spanish aviation as a strategic sector, essential for international connectivity, the national economy and the social development of Spain.

About AESA

AESA is the State body, attached to the Secretary of State for Transport of the Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility, which ensures that civil aviation standards are complied with in all aeronautical activity in Spain.

The Agency has the missions of Supervision, Inspection and Management of Air Transport, Air Navigation and Airport Security. It assesses risks to transport safety and has the power to impose penalties for breaches of civil aviation rules.