The northwestern Spanish region of Galicia will regain some of its international connectivity thanks to the launch of Fly2Galicia, a new budget airline that will operate from Santiago de Compostela in the coming months.
The airline has announced it will begin operations in just three and half months and will be based out of Rosalía de Castro Airport in Santiago de Compostela.
From there, the airline will fly to up to eight different destinations with a total of 17 weekly frequencies.
Five of these destinations will be international including Brussels, Prague, Munich, Venice and Milan, while three will be domestic including Zaragoza, Alicante and Granada.
The inaugural flight will take off on December 1st 2026 and take off from Santiago to Zaragoza.
Two other international flights are scheduled for that same day, though details have not yet been released of where they will fly to.
The remaining routes will begin operating that same week.
Fly2Galicia’s website will be up and running for bookings starting tomorrow August 18th.
Tickets will be available for its first season, with flights scheduled until October 24th of next year.
READ ALSO: Valencia airport to undergo €400-million expansion
The airline has announced that the three domestic flights will cost from just €19.
Tickets to Milan and Brussels will start at €39, while those to Munich, Prague, and Venice will start at €49.
Fly2Galicia has assured passengers that even the lowest fare will include two pieces of hand luggage. This will be an eight-kilo cabin bag and one personal item.
The company had initially announced on social media that it would use a Boeing 737-800, but at the start of operations, the carrier will actually use the Airbus A320 models.
Fly2Galicia plans to add a new aircraft in time for next summer’s season, enabling the launch of more routes alongside those already established until October 2027.
READ ALSO: Spain to limit passenger numbers at Madrid and Barcelona airports in 2027
It is estimated that the new air airline will generate 25 direct jobs to launch and develop the project, however, it’s not known how many roles will be available for flight crew and ground staff.
Santiago Councillor for Tourism Miriam Louzao said of the new airline: “It is a very good opportunity for Santiago de Compostela and for the entire country”.
“It demonstrates Santiago de Compostela’s appeal in the international market and positions Rosalía de Castro as the country’s key airport” she added.
The northwestern region of Galicia, part of what’s dubbed ‘Green Spain’, has faced major flight reductions over the past two years.
The drop in domestic and international flight options across Galicia’s three airports – Santiago de Compostela (SCQ), A Coruña (LCG), and Vigo (VGO) – has been driven by two factors.
Crucially, Ryanair closed its aircraft base at Santiago airport and cut flight routes there, as well as completely pulling out from Vigo, largely due to a bitter dispute over airport fees between the Irish low-cost carrier and Spanish airport operator Aena.
Furthermore, Galicia’s main airport – Santiago’s – was entirely closed for over a month this year due to runway upgrades.
Fortunately, this dire situation has already been partially overcome with the announcements of Wizz Air’s new base in Santiago and the significant increase in Vueling ‘s operations.
Fly2Galicia’s launch could further help reboot the region’s connectivity, but the Galician press has questioned the viability of the project as it’s spearheaded by an unknown figure called Gueorgui Iavorov Popov, who has previously attempted a similar regional ticket-sales venture named Alpha Tour Europe in Mallorca.
The airline would operate using a wet-lease (ACMI) model, whereby instead of holding its own Air Operator Certificate, it handles sales and marketing while an airline partner provides the planes, crew, and flight operations.
