Southern Gran Canaria, and Maspalomas in particular, faces the coming winter with currency uncertainty and growing challenges in airport costs. Currency movements, along with rising aviation fuel prices, are set to impact both prices and seat availability during the peak season.
Tourists and purchasing power
The Bank of Spain highlights that international tourism spending in southern Gran Canaria grew by 19% in 2024 compared to 2019, driven mainly by rising prices, and notes an 11% increase in leisure and hospitality spending during the first quarter of that year.
At the same time, an appreciation of the euro against the dollar of around 7,5% so far in 2025 has favored the reduction of fuel and other service costs, improving the profitability of European airlines operating on the island.
Fuel, exchange rate and air availability
Aviation fuel accounts for between 20% and 30% of an airline's operating costs. The strength of the euro against the dollar has helped offset recent increases in the price of kerosene, which doubled between 2021 and 2022.
Although the Canary Islands have initially been exempted from the mandatory use of sustainable fuel (SAF), this additional cost—three to six times higher than that of conventional kerosene—remains a threat to low-cost routes and connectivity in southern Gran Canaria.
Impact on Maspalomas
The balance is delicate: a strong euro facilitates booking turnover (more tourists and lower flight costs), but the rise in the SAF and the volatility of currencies such as the pound sterling and the Nordic kroner put additional pressure on profitability. Maspalomas, with a tourism economy heavily dependent on air travel, needs to act early.