Air Europa facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Air Europa

An Air Europa Boeing 787-9
Founded	1986; 39 years ago (1986)
AOC #	ES.AOC.004
Hubs	Adolfo Suárez Madrid–Barajas Airport
Focus cities	Palma de Mallorca Airport Tenerife North Airport
Frequent-flyer program	Suma
Alliance	SkyTeam
Subsidiaries	Air Europa Express
Fleet size	43
Destinations	44
Parent company	Globalia
Headquarters	Llucmajor, Mallorca, Spain
Key people	Juan José Hidalgo, Chairman and CEO
Employees	2,949 (5 March 2014)

Air Europa is a big airline from Spain. It's the third largest in the country, after Iberia and Vueling. Its main office is in Llucmajor, Mallorca, Spain. The airline's main base, called a "hub," is at Adolfo Suárez Madrid–Barajas Airport. They also have important operations at Palma de Mallorca Airport and Tenerife North Airport.

Air Europa flies to more than 44 places. These include cities in Spain, other parts of Europe, South America, North America, the Caribbean, Morocco, and Tunisia. Since 2007, Air Europa has been part of the SkyTeam alliance. This is a group of airlines that work together.

Air Europa's Story

How Air Europa Started

Air Europa began in 1986. It was first known as Air España SA. The airline was part of a British group called ILG-Air Europe. Spanish banks owned 75% of the company.

At first, Air Europa looked similar to Air Europe. Its planes had Spanish registration numbers. The airline flew holiday charter flights. These flights took people from Mediterranean resorts to European cities. They used Boeing 737-300s and Boeing 757s. Air Europa was the first private Spanish company to offer regular flights within Spain. Before this, its main business was charter flights.

In 1991, the parent company ILG stopped operating. But Air Europa continued to fly and make money. It had more Boeing 737s and 757s. In 1998, Air Europa signed an agreement with Iberia. This agreement later ended. Today, Globalia Corporación Empresarial S.A. owns Air Europa.

By the late 1990s, Air Europa started using newer Boeing 737-800 jets. They also got a new look for their planes. In 2005, it was announced that Air Europa would join the SkyTeam alliance. They officially became a member on September 1, 2007.

Recent Years and Changes

Air Europa stopped using its last Boeing 767 plane in April 2012.

In May 2019, Brazil's aviation agency allowed Air Europa to fly within Brazil. This was the first time a foreign airline got this permission. Brazilian laws had changed to allow foreign companies to own domestic airlines. Air Europa already flew to Brazil from Madrid. They had international flights to Salvador and Recife.

Plans to Join Another Airline Group

In November 2019, a big airline group called International Airlines Group (IAG) wanted to buy Air Europa. IAG owns airlines like British Airways and Iberia. They planned to buy Air Europa from Globalia for €1 billion. The deal was expected to finish in early 2020.

Air Europa had 66 planes at that time. In 2018, they made a profit of €100 million. IAG wanted Air Europa to become part of Iberia. They planned to keep the Air Europa brand name. IAG thought the deal would help them make more money by 2025. This would happen by sharing flights and loyalty programs.

In January 2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic, the price for Air Europa was cut in half to €500 million. But in November 2021, the plans for the merger were stopped. IAG later bought a 20% share in Air Europa in August 2022.

In February 2023, IAG agreed to buy Air Europa for €400 million. The Air Europa brand was still planned to stay. The Spanish government supported this merger. IAG said the merger would help them start flights to Asia from Madrid. If the deal was approved, Air Europa would leave SkyTeam. It would then join other IAG airlines in the Oneworld alliance.

In January 2024, the European Commission looked into the deal. They worried it might reduce competition on flights within Spain. They also worried about flights from Madrid to other European cities and to the Americas. In February 2024, it was reported that the EU might warn IAG. This meant IAG's plans to fix the competition worries were not enough.

In August 2024, IAG announced they would not buy Air Europa. They felt the extra rules to get the deal approved were too difficult. Instead, IAG said they would try to grow their business in Madrid. They want Madrid to become a major aviation hub like other big airports in Europe.

New Interest in Air Europa

In mid-2025, other big airlines showed interest in Air Europa. Air France–KLM, Lufthansa, and Turkish Airlines talked to Globalia about buying a part of Air Europa. By August 2025, Air France–KLM and Lufthansa stopped their talks. This left Turkish Airlines as the only known airline still interested.

Where Air Europa Flies

Air Europa flies between northern and western Europe and holiday spots. These include the Canary Islands and Balearic Islands. It also has regular flights within Spain. From Madrid, it flies long-distance flights to North America and South America. Its main base is Madrid–Barajas Airport.

Airlines Air Europa Works With

As of January 2025, Air Europa has agreements to share flights with these airlines:

Air Europa also works with Air Transat, Iberojet, and Sky Airline.

Air Europa's Planes

An Air Europa Boeing 787-8

An Air Europa Boeing 737-800 with SkyTeam colors

An Air Europa Embraer 195 in an older paint scheme

A former Air Europa Airbus A330-300

Current Planes

As of April 2025, Air Europa uses only Boeing planes for its main flights. Here are the planes they have:

Past Planes

Air Europa used to fly these planes:

Flight Incidents

EC-MTI, the plane from the Flight 045 incident, pictured in November 2022

As of January 2025, Air Europa has had one incident where no one died.

• On July 1, 2024, Air Europa Flight 045 was flying from Madrid, Spain, to Montevideo, Uruguay. The plane was a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner. While flying over the Atlantic Ocean, the plane went through very strong turbulence. This happened at a height of about 36,000 feet. The plane then changed its direction and landed safely in Natal, Brazil. There were 336 people on board. 40 people had minor injuries and went to the hospital. The inside of the plane was also damaged and needed repairs. Four people had more serious injuries.

See also

In Spanish: Air Europa para niños

• Air Europe (1979–1991)
• Air Europe (Italy) (1989–2008)
• List of airlines of Spain
• Transport in Spain