Cheap Domestic Flights within Spain

Search and buy domestic flights within Spain. We offer flights from all airlines flying domestically within Spain and between Spanish islands.

What are Domestic Flights Within Spain?

A domestic flight within Spain is any flight that departs from an airport within the country and arrives at another airport still within Spain. As an example, a domestic flight within Spain might be a flight that departs from the country's capital, Madrid (MAD) and arrives in the Catalonian capital Barcelona (BCN). Internal flights within Spain are always short-haul, with most flights having a journey time of under two hours. However, flights to the Canary Islands can take up to three hours or more. Depending on the route and airline, flights are operated using narrow body aircraft or regional jets.

Most domestic flights in Spain are carried out by Spanish airlines, however, there are some routes that non-Spanish airlines fly, such as Ryanair.

Key Domestic Airlines Within Spain

For more information on each individual Spanish airline and airline that fly domestically, click the airline name to visit each airline page.

iberia

Iberia is the national carrier of Spain and along with its regional subsidiary, Iberia Express, flies to more than 20 destinations within Spain. The airline is based at Madrid Barajas Airport (MAD) and flies to destinations including Barcelona (BCN), La Palma (SPC), Seville (SVQ), Málaga (AGP) and A Coruña (LCG). Some domestic flights will be operated by Iberia Regional, the regional subsidiary of the airline.

Aside from its domestic route network, Iberia has an extensive international route network, flying routes all across Europe, as well as intercontinental services to destinations in South America, North America, Central America, Africa and Asia. Iberia is the main airline for travelling to and from Spain, which makes it a great airline if you're travelling from another country and want to book a connecting domestic flight.

Domestic flight check-in times

Online: Online check-in is open from 24 hours up until 45 minutes before scheduled flight departure time.

Airport: Airport check-in closes 45 minutes before scheduled flights departure time.

Aire europa

Air Europa is the second-largest airline in Spain behind Iberia. With its regional subsidiary, Air Europa Express, the airline flies to around 20 destinations throughout Spain. The airline mainly offers internal flights throughout Spain from its hub at Madrid Barajas Airport (MAD) but it also offers domestic flights from destinations including Valverde (VLC), Tenerife (TFN), Palma de Mallorca (PMI), Lanzarote (ACE), Gran Canaria (LPA) and more.

Air Europa also offers international flights to destinations across Europe, North Africa and the Americas.

Domestic flight check-in times

Online: Online check-in is open from 48 hours up until one hour before scheduled flight departure time.

Airport: Airport check-in opens 2.5 hours before scheduled flights departure time and closes 45 minutes before.

Vueling

Vueling is the third-largest airline in Spain behind Iberia and Air Europa. The airline flies to more than 20 destinations within Spain and — with its hub at Barcelona El Prat (BCN) — is the main airport offering internal flights in Spain from the Catalonian area.

Although based in Barcelona, Vueling flies many domestic services from other destinations within Spain. For example, it connects Alicante (ALC), A Coruna (LCG), Bilbao (BIO), Malaga (AGP), Palma De Mallorca (PMI), Sevilla (SVQ) with lots of Spanish destinations.

Vueling has a codeshare agreement with Iberia, which means both airlines operate a number of its flights on each others behalf.

Domestic flight check-in times

Online: Online check-in opens seven days before scheduled flight departure time and closes one hour before.

Airport: Airport check-in is open from two hours up until 40 minutes before scheduled flight departure time.

Nostrum de aire

Air Nostrum is a Spanish airline that operates flights under the Iberia Regional brand. The airline has three bases — Barcelona El Prat (BCN), Madrid Barajas (MAD) and Valencia (VLC). The airline flies to more destinations in Spain than any other airline, with more than 30 Spanish destinations within its route network. This includes destinations such as Asturias (OVD), Santiago de Compostela (SCQ), Alicante (ALC), Bilbao (BIO) and Tenerife (TFN).

Domestic flight check-in times

Airport: Airpot check-in closes 45 minutes before scheduled flight departure time.

Volotea

Although a Spanish airline, Volotea it has several hubs in Europe in countries including Italy, France, Greece and Spain. Although the airline has a strong focus on international flights around Europe, it does have a varied domestic Spanish route network, which includes regular flights travelling between the cities of Alicante (ALC), Asturias (OVD), Bilbao (BIO), Sevilla (SVQ), Malaga (AGP), Santander (SDR), Valencia (VLC), A Coruna (LCG) and Tenerife (TFN).

Volotea doesn't fly to either of Spain's big two airports, Madrid (MAD) and Barcelona. However, it's useful for travelling between destinations in other parts of the country.

Domestic flight check-in times

Online: Online check-in is open from four days up until two and a half hours before scheduled flight departure time.

Airport: Airport check-in opens two hours before scheduled flight departure time and closes 35 minutes before on most domestic flights, excluding flights from Palma De Mallorca (PMI), which closes 45 minutes before.

Binter canarias

Binter Canarias is a Spanish airline that is based at Gran Canaria Airport. While the airline doesn't fly to much of mainland Spain, it does offer flights between destinations within the Canary Islands and to Mallorca (PMI). The airline flies to more than 10 destinations across Spain and its islands and is the primary airline for the Canary Islands.

Other than inter-island domestic flights, Binter Canarias also flies to destinations in Portugal, Cape Verde and North Africa.

Domestic flight check-in times

Online: Online check-in is open from 10 days up until 30 minutes before scheduled flight departure time.

Airport: Airport check-in closes 30 minutes before scheduled flight departure time.

Canaryfly

Canaryfly is another Spanish airline flying between the Canary Islands and is the second-largest airline flying between the islands. The airline is based at Gran Canaria Airport (LPA) and flies to seven destinations in total, including to Lanzarote (ACE), Tenerife (TFN) and Fuerteventura (FUE).

Canaryfly is the only airline that flies exclusively between the islands and doesn't fly to mainland Spain.

Domestic flight check-in times

Online: Online check-in is open from 72 hours up until 30 minutes before boarding time.

Airport: Airport check-in opens two hours before scheduled flight departure time and closes 30 minutes before.

Ryanair

Ryanair is an Irish airline that offers low-cost flights all across Europe. Its primary base is in Dublin, however, the airline also has bases in Alicante (ALC), Valencia (VLC), Málaga (AGP), Madrid (MAD), Ibiza (IBZ) and Barcelona (BCN) and offers domestic flights from all of these airports to destinations within Spain.

Ryanair is the most well-connected non-Spanish airline that offers Spanish domestic flights.

Domestic flight check-in times

Online: Online check-in is available from 48 hours before scheduled flight departure time and closes two hours before.

Airport: Airport check-in closes 40 minutes before scheduled flight departure time.

Airports Within Spain

Why Book Domestic Flights in
Spain?

With fantastic weather, amazing food and a diverse landscape, Spain is a fascinating country. There's so much to do and see but as a larger country, it would take at least a few trips to see everything if you travelled by road. That's why domestic flights are the best way to travel around Spain. For example, driving between its two key cities, Madrid and Barcelona takes over six hours by car but only takes one hour and 15 minutes by plane. Likewise, the short one hour and 40-minute flight from one side of the country (Barcelona) to the other (Málaga) can take up to 10 hours in a car.

Spain does have an efficient railway system, with high-speed trains travelling between some cities. But, even on the high-speed train, the journey time from Madrid to Barcelona is double than the flight time on a plane.

Domestic Flights Within Spain
FAQs

Do I need a passport for domestic flights in Spain?

While a passport is a valid form of identification for domestic flights within Spain, it's not essential. You can also fly with other travel documents that have photo identification.

How early do I need to arrive for domestic flights in Spain?

To ensure you have enough time to check-in, drop any checked bags and pass through security, you should arrive two hours before scheduled flight departure time. Check-in deadlines differ from airline to airline. However, in general, airport check-in closes 30–45 minutes before scheduled flight departure time for domestic flights within Spain.

What is the baggage allowance for domestic flights in Spain?

Most airlines will not give a free checked baggage allowance for domestic flights within Spain but will allow you to purchase checked baggage at an additional cost.

In addition, passengers are given a free carry-on baggage allowance on most airlines, with the exception of Ryanair, which doesn't give free carry-on baggage. The carry-on baggage weight allowance will depend on the airline, however, in general it will be between 5–10 kg.

Can I buy domestic flights in Spain online?

Yes, you can buy domestic flights in Spain online with Alternative Airlines. We offer flights from all airlines that fly internally within Spain, including Spanish and non-Spanish airlines.

Can I book domestic flights in Spain and pay later?

Why not? At Alternative Airlines, we have many flexible Buy Now Pay Later payment methods available at checkout, including Afterpay and Klarna. Did you know you can book Iberia flights today and spread the cost over time? Find out more information by reading our Fly Now Pay Later with Iberia guide.