Jan 21, 2026
3 min read
At a new stage with a "good" financial and operational position, Vueling plans to increase its activities by 50% over the next ten years...
-Vueling will invest 5,000 million and concentrate on the Spanish market
Vueling will take advantage of Ryanair's withdrawal and rise 3% in Spain this winter.
The airline admits that the total cost of upgrading its 130 aircraft will be more than $10 billion if the conversion program for its entire fleet goes ahead as planned.
In a new period with "good" financial and operational status, Vueling sees the ability to increase its operations by 50% in the next ten years and become an airline that can create a true network, with 60 of the 130 aircraft at Barcelona Airport.
"We already serve the intercontinental routes of the IAG group, such as Vueling, Iberia and British Airways, but also other companies. The growth of Vueling gives us more opportunities to continue playing this role. We are very important for El Prat to develop long-haul flights," explains the airline's president, Carolina Martinoli (Buenos69).
According to its data, the airline concentrates 70% of the connections between flights to the capital of Catalonia.In particular, Vueling already has fifteen codeshare or interline agreements in El Prat, which allow the passenger to use Barcelona as a link between the point of departure and the destination of their trip.
The main mission of the Aena 3.2 billion expansion for Barcelona is to increase its capacity and promote connections with America and Asia.Unlike Barajas, where Iberia operates long routes and Iberia Express and Air Nostrum feed the hub, the weight of the level at El Prat is much lighter and the participation of more airlines is necessary to create a dense intercontinental network.
Vueling explained last Wednesday that it would invest 5 billion over five years to buy 50 Boeing planes as part of its plan to transfer its fleet, currently of 130 Airbuses, to the American manufacturer.
Increase in fleet
Does Vueling want a fleet of 150 planes, considering that IAG has 100 more units of the same model with purchase options?
The increase in operations, from the current 40 million trips a year to an expected 60 million in 2035, will come "because of the growth of the aircraft, because of more seats and more use," said Martinoli, who explained that for the 737 order with Boeing it will be "easy" to choose models with 197 or 224 seats.
"I can't talk about the investment because it's not approved, but it's correct," he said when asked if Vueling's investment could exceed 10,000 million if it replaces the entire fleet as planned.
Along with the expansion of the airport
"The growth is considered in the past few years, but the beginning is important. We have a place (although el Prat are near the saturation], but we hope to increase.
The company understands that there will be inefficiencies during the six-year transition."But then there will be a new, efficient and simple fleet. Now many of the machines are reaching the end of their service life," he says.
Martinoli didn't want to say how much costs would be cut or how much profit could increase, now 12%.Will the results increase in proportion to the traffic?"The plan is ambitious and we want to improve Vueling in every way," he highlights.
Vueling will focus on El Prat, on national routes and connecting Spain to major European capitals.According to Aena, the second segment decreased worldwide in 2025.But Vueling sees opportunities: "We see strong demand, without signs that it will behave differently," he says.The company is "trying" to increase its stake in Barcelona, currently 39.5%. "We are not afraid of competition."
Vueling is not limited to Ryanair 2: "We cannot compete on a pan-European level by opening bases in Europe. We want to remain focused on the primary markets, doing what we do best," he concludes.
"Iron investment can be supported without raising rates"
Amid a consultation period between Aena and airlines on the Airport Regulations 2027-2031 (Dora III), which will cover investments and prices for that period, Vueling shares the opinion of the Air Lines Association (ALA), of which it is a part, that prices should not increase.
"It must be invested efficiently and traffic growth can finance the investment without increasing rates", explains its president, Carolina Martinoli.Performance and "reality-balanced" traffic forecasts are key to investing.
"Tariff increases have an impact on demand. It's not positive for demand. Turnover in 2025 was 17% higher than expected in Dora II [planning 2022-2026]. This is positive because it shows that investment can be made without impacting the consumer," he explains.
Consumption penalty
Martinoli insists Vueling will defend "in every way" the 39.3 million fine imposed by the Ministry of Consumer Affairs - in addition to four other airlines affected - for charging cabin baggage. "You can't have different rules in different countries.It doesn't make sense.For me it's a European problem.Depending on the percentage of seats you have in Spain, it affects you more or less,” he lamented.
As for the debate over banning some short-haul flights, he says "it doesn't make any sense", which he doesn't think will affect Vueling and prefers to focus on the industry's efforts to reduce emissions; his work includes fleet renewal.
