Palma airport continues to be the third busiest in Spain. Archive photo. | ARCHIVO

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In 2019, as is normal, Palma Son Sant Joan Airport had the third highest number of passengers among Spanish airports. There were 29.7 million, some distance behind Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas and Barcelona-El Prat with 61.7 million and 52.6 million respectively. The Palma total showed a 2.2% increase for the whole year.

Nationally, there was a 4.4% increase in passenger numbers at all airports operated by the Aena airports authority. The total was 275.2 million, a new record. The growth in 2019 was, however, down on what it had been in 2018, when the total increased by 5.8% compared with 2017. The last time there was a decrease in passenger numbers was in 2013, when they declined by 3.5%

There was more relative growth in national passengers in 2019 - up 6.4% to 85.5 million - than in international passengers, the number of which increased 3.5% to 188.8 million.

Palma has long been the third busiest airport in Spain in terms of whole-year traffic. In fourth position was Malaga-Costa del Sol with 19.8 million passengers (up 4.4%). Then came Alicante-Elche with a 7.6% rise to 15 million, Gran Canaria and Tenerife South. These two airports in the Canaries experienced decreases and confirmed the fact that there were reductions in connectivity last year; Thomas Cook wasn't the only reason. Gran Canaria went down 2.7% to 13.2 million and Tenerife South by 1.1% to 11.1 million.

In December, there was a 3.7% increase in passengers at all airports - the figure was 18.2 million. At Son Sant Joan, there were 952,356 passengers, a fall of 2.1%.