Spain and the UK share more flights between them than any two countries in the WORLD: Incredible statistic is confirmed after expert ‘fact-checked’ claim made by outgoing British ambassador Hugh Elliott

THIS week saw Hugh Elliott’s time as British ambassador to Spain come to a close, and as he has done so many times over the last five years, he sent out a video message, giving thanks for the ‘affection and welcome’ he has received while in post. 

But the video message contained an interesting claim, one that piqued the interest of travel blogger Diego Gonzalez: Spain and the UK share more flights between them than any other two countries in the world. 

Writing on his blog Fronteras (Borders), Gonzalez explained that he had been alerted to the astonishing claim by Hugh Elliott by a reader, and so he set about to discover whether or not it was true.

His conclusion? It absolutely is the case, and by quite an astonishing margin. 

Read more: Departing British ambassador to Spain bids farewell: Hugh Elliott releases goodbye video message after five years in the role

“The air relationship between Spain and the United Kingdom is simply massive,” he wrote on the post. “Spain received 17 million British tourists in 2023, 20% of all foreign visitors to the country. We are the favourite destination for the British (doubling the next, which is France) and the British are the foreigners who visit Spain the most by a long way.”

Gonzalez also investigated the number of Spanish tourists who head to the United Kingdom, with two million visiting in 2023, making it the fifth country on the overall ranking. 

And as for the flights?

Well, Gonzalez discovered that the number of plane seats available in August 2024 between Spain and the UK was the highest by far, coming in at more than 5.3 million according to website OAG. 

In second place was Germany and Spain, with 3.3 million, and then Canada and the USA, with 3.2 million.

Another fact that Gonzalez included in his blog post will surprise no one: the low-cost airlines account for the majority of these flights. 

Ryanair, for example, operates nearly 2,000 flights a week between the UK and Spain, with easyJet and Jet2 close behind with 1,500 a week.

Gonzalez concluded his blog with an idea for the future: he would check out one of the more unusual routes available to travellers, and take a flight from Alicante to Teeside.