Spanish airports schedule 8% more summer seats

(Reuters) - Spanish airport operator Aena said on Tuesday the airlines in its network have scheduled nearly 8% more seats for this summer than last year, as a rebound in tourism continues since pandemic-related curbs ended.

Airlines have planned 243 million seats at Aena airports, including for both departures and arrivals, for the summer season from March 31 through Oct. 26, Aena said.

European airlines have so far reported strong summer forward bookings, keeping a positive outlook for 2024 as they benefit from a continuing post-pandemic travel boom.

Aena increased its seating schedule by more than 10% in the European market from the past summer, boosted by the UK, Germany and Italy.

The Spanish market saw a rise of about 3%.

Aena's passenger numbers are recovering more rapidly from the pandemic slump than those of other European operators. It expects to manage around one million passengers each day at its airports by 2026.

(Reporting by Matteo Allievi, Editing by Bernadette Baum)