Mexico Becomes Spain’s Second Largest Non-European Source Market

Spain welcomed more than 1 million visitors from Mexico in 2024, setting a milestone for travel between the two countries as airline capacity reached record levels.

The 9.7% year-on-year increase to 1,080,318 arrivals makes Mexico the second-largest non-European source market for Spain, behind only the U.S., according to data from Spain’s Tourism Institute, Turespaña.

In addition to record visitor numbers, Mexican tourist spending in Spain rose to €2.94 billion ($3.08 billion), a 44% increase from 2023 and more than double the €1.18 billion recorded in 2019.

The rise in tourist arrivals from Mexico to Spain came during a year when seat capacity between the countries continued to surge. According to analysis of OAG Schedules Analyser data, there were 2.2 million available two-way seats during 2024, marking a year-on-year increase of 5% and up by almost 50% on 2019 levels.

The growth is largely being driven by the expansion of Aeromexico and Iberia, which together account for about 70% of the available capacity. However, newer entrants like Emirates and World2Fly have also gained market share.

For the upcoming northern summer season, Aeromexico plans to offer around 515,000 two-way seats on Mexico-Spain routes, up from 294,000 in summer 2019. The increase follows the airline’s launch of Guadalajara-Madrid and Monterrey-Madrid services in 2022, as well as expanded frequencies on its Mexico City-Madrid route.

Iberia, operating exclusively between Madrid and Mexico City, will provide about 439,000 seats, while Emirates will offer 127,000 seats on its fifth-freedom service between Barcelona and Mexico City. World2Fly, which launched operations in 2021, has become the fourth-largest provider on the market, offering 118,000 seats between Madrid and Cancun.

Mexico will be Spain’s third-largest non-European market in summer 2025, trailing only the U.S. and Colombia. Meanwhile, Spain will rank as Mexico’s largest non-Americas market and its fifth-largest overall.

Looking ahead, Spain’s wider aviation sector is poised for further growth in 2025. Aena, the Spanish airport operator, forecasts passenger traffic to grow by 3.4%, reaching approximately 320 million travelers across its network. In 2024, Aena-managed airports handled 309.3 million passengers, a 9.2% increase from the previous year, surpassing pre-pandemic levels.

It comes as Aena Group, which manages airports in Spain, London Luton and the Aena Brasil airports, reported a record net profit of €1.9 billion for 2024, 18.6% higher than 2023. Revenues rose by 13.3%, reaching €5.8 billion.