Speaking to business daily Expansión on Monday, Industry and Tourism Minister Jordi Hereu warned that the 50 % surge in global oil prices triggered by February’s Iran crisis will soon feed through to airline ticket costs. Because most carriers hedge fuel several months in advance, current fares still reflect cheaper kerosene purchased last winter—but that cushion is evaporating fast. The ministry is advising both leisure and corporate travellers to secure seats early, particularly on long-haul and inter-island routes that are more fuel-intensive. Spain welcomed a record 97 million foreign visitors in 2025 and airlines have already loaded aggressive capacity for 2026, but analysts at Transport & Environment estimate that every US$10 rise in Brent adds roughly €2 to the price of a short-haul ticket and more than €25 on trans-Atlantic sectors. Higher fares could hit companies with large commuter or project-based travel budgets. Travel-managers are being urged to lock in negotiated fares now, widen advance-purchase windows, and review cost-sharing policies with clients. Some firms are dusting off pandemic-era remote-work protocols as contingency plans should last-minute travel become uneconomical. Hereu also reiterated Spain’s commitment to the EU’s ReFuel EU Aviation mandate and hinted that Madrid could support joint strategic fuel reserves to cushion future shocks. While such structural solutions remain years away, the immediate message for mobility teams is pragmatic: confirm summer rotations, expatriate home-leave trips and graduate-programme travel before airlines reprice.
Source: Spain in English
