Air Europa Launches Daily Barcelona-Istanbul Flights with New Permit

Spain’s Directorate of Civil Aviation, known as “Dirección General de Aviación Civil,” has allocated seven weekly flight frequencies to Air Europa, enabling potential operations between Barcelona (BCN) and Istanbul (IST).

In May 2025, Air Europa initiated a four-weekly nonstop route connecting Madrid-Barajas (MAD) to Istanbul, which was later expanded to a daily service.

The rise in air traffic between Spain and Turkey reflects an increase in tourism and business interactions, along with connecting traffic. Turkish Airlines pioneered the nonstop link between Istanbul and Sevilla (SQV) in September 2025. Following this, its subsidiary, AJet, began services between Ankara-Esenboga (ESB) and both Barcelona and Madrid in October.

Spanish low-cost airline Vueling, a member of the International Airlines Group (IAG), also launched a nonstop route from Barcelona to Istanbul. This service commenced with three weekly flights each way, quickly ramping up to daily flights, and is projected to grow to 13 flights weekly in the summer of 2026.

According to the current bilateral agreement between Spain and Turkey, additional frequencies are still available for Spanish airlines to explore.

In November 2024, the Directorate of Civil Aviation awarded a daily frequency to Air Europa for flights between Madrid and Istanbul. At that time, there were still 25 weekly frequencies open for Spanish airlines flying between Barcelona and Istanbul. Air Europa has since taken seven, while Vueling has secured four of those slots. Moreover, an additional 35 frequencies per week are available for routes from Madrid to Istanbul, along with 14 for other connections between the two nations.

For Air Europa, these new Turkish routes offer a chance for significant expansion. Historically, the airline has concentrated on markets in Western Europe and Latin America. However, Turkish Airlines’ acquisition of a 26% stake in Air Europa paves the way for new commercial and operational prospects.

During a conversation with AeroTime in Seville in September 2025, Turkish Airlines Chairman Professor Ahmed Bolat confirmed that both airlines will work more closely together in the future, although specifics were not provided.

The introduction of these Turkish routes by Air Europa will undoubtedly enhance connectivity between the two airlines’ complementary networks.

AeroTime has reached out to Air Europa for further comments.

What are your thoughts on the growing air connections between Spain and Turkey?