Ryanair, British Airways, Iberia, Vueling, Lufthansa, EasyJet and Air Europa Cancel 200+ Flights as Santiago–Rosalía de Castro Airport Shuts for 35 Days — Travelers Warned to Reroute via Madrid, Porto, Vigo and A Coruña During Peak Camino Season

Santiago–Rosalía de Castro Airport (SCQ) in northern Spain has gone dark for 35 days — from April 23 to May 27, 2026 — as the Spanish airport authority AENA undertakes a comprehensive runway resurfacing and infrastructure upgrade that has forced the cancellation of more than 200 flights operated by Ryanair, British Airways, Iberia, Vueling, Lufthansa, EasyJet, and Air Europa, striking at the worst possible moment: the height of the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage season. The closure is not a surprise grounding or a safety incident — it is a planned, engineering-driven necessity. AENA confirmed that SCQ's main runway, measuring over 3,200 metres, requires a full resurfacing combined with upgrades to drainage systems and runway lighting infrastructure. The scale of the project made partial operations impossible. The entire airport had to be suspended for the full duration. The timing, however, could hardly be more painful. Santiago de Compostela is the endpoint of the Camino de Santiago, one of the world's most storied pilgrimage routes, drawing more than 300,000 travelers annually from across Europe and the Americas. April through June represents the single busiest window for pilgrim arrivals, when the weather on the route is optimal and the cathedral city of Santiago fills with walkers completing months-long journeys. The 35-day closure punches directly through that window. Seven airlines — Ryanair, British Airways, Iberia, Vueling, Lufthansa, EasyJet, and Air Europa — have been forced to cancel or reroute their SCQ operations entirely, affecting travelers primarily from the United Kingdom, United States, Germany, Italy, and Portugal, all countries with strong cultural and religious connections to the pilgrimage. For the average business traveler, a diverted flight to Madrid or Porto is an inconvenience. For a pilgrim who has spent months training for the Camino, planned their departure date to align with the feast of Santiago, or coordinated with family flying from three different countries, the disruption carries far more weight. The closure's downstream effects are cascading through Galicia's tourism economy. Hotels, restaurants, pilgrim hostels, and local businesses in Santiago de Compostela depend heavily on the surge of April-to-May arrivals that SCQ normally channels directly into the city. With air access diverted to airports hours away by ground transport, a meaningful share of those visitors — particularly older pilgrims, families, and those with tight schedules — are likely to alter or abandon their plans entirely. The impact extends beyond pilgrims. Santiago is also a significant business and cultural destination, serving as the capital of the Galicia autonomous community. Commercial travelers, academic visitors, and cultural tourists all rely on SCQ's direct European connections, many of which are now suspended. Airlines have moved quickly to establish alternative routing, with Porto (OPO), Madrid (MAD), Vigo (VGO), and A Coruña (LCG) serving as the primary diversion points. Ground connections from these airports to Santiago de Compostela add between 1.5 and 4 hours of travel time by bus or train. Ryanair and EasyJet are offering rerouting via Porto or Madrid with free rebooking options, alongside refunds for passengers who choose not to travel at all. British Airways and Iberia are providing alternative connections via Vigo and A Coruña for shorter-haul European passengers, with Madrid as the primary hub for international connections. Lufthansa and Air Europa are absorbing affected passengers into their Barcelona and Madrid hub networks, with some charter arrangements in place to manage peak-demand dates. AENA is maintaining direct communication with all affected airlines and has committed to coordinating seamless transfer options. According to AENA's official airport operations portal, the infrastructure upgrades at SCQ are designed to extend the runway's operational lifespan by decades and improve safety margins, drainage efficiency, and night-operation lighting standards — making the short-term disruption a long-term investment in the airport's viability. For anyone with travel plans to or from Santiago de Compostela before May 27, 2026, the priority actions are: Check your flight status immediately via your airline's app or website — do not assume your booking is unaffected Contact the airline directly for free rebooking or refund options; most carriers are waiving fees for SCQ closures Book Porto or Madrid as your entry point and arrange ground transport to Santiago in advance — Renfe rail services and FlixBus connections are operating between these cities and Galicia Add buffer days to your itinerary if you are a pilgrim — a 4-hour ground transfer after a long-haul flight is genuinely fatiguing, especially if your Camino begins the following morning Book accommodation in diversion cities in advance — Porto and Madrid hotels are already experiencing increased demand from displaced SCQ passengers