If you were planning to fly into Santiago de Compostela this spring, expect disruption. Santiago-Rosalía de Castro Airport will close its runways for resurfacing from 23 April to 27 May 2026, the airport operator said on its website, and no takeoffs or landings will be permitted during the work. Airlines serving the city have been told to contact affected passengers about cancellations and rebooking. Press coverage has urged travellers to consider alternative airports such as A Coruña, Vigo or Porto. If your trip overlaps those dates, contact your carrier now to confirm whether your ticket has been reissued, refunded or rerouted.

If you were planning to fly into Santiago de Compostela this spring, expect disruption. The region's main international gateway shut its runways on 23 April for resurfacing and will remain closed until 27 May 2026, the airport operator said on its website. No aircraft will be able to land or take off from Santiago while the work continues.

How travellers are affected

Santiago-Rosalía de Castro is described in reports as the busiest airport in Galicia and the second-busiest in northern Spain. Passenger figures in coverage vary, with one account citing 3.1 million travellers in 2025 and another reporting about 3.6 million passengers annually. The difference in figures matters because the closure will fall during a period of steady tourist traffic into Galicia, and even conservative estimates imply thousands of passengers will be disrupted across late April and May.

Multiple carriers that normally serve Santiago are reported as affected. Names appearing across the coverage include Ryanair, Vueling and Iberia on the one hand, and British Airways, Aer Lingus and KLM on the other. One set of reports estimated roughly 30 flights a week operate between the UK and Santiago-Rosalía, which suggests a substantial slice of UK connections were cancelled while the airport is closed.

Right now, the airport operator and airlines have told passengers to contact their carrier for the latest on flight status, cancellations and rebooking. Press coverage has repeatedly urged anyone booked to arrive in Santiago in late April or May to check with their airline now, because some tickets may have been refunded or reissued on different routings.

Compounding the disruption, the resurfacing closure coincided with industrial action affecting Spanish airports this spring. Several reports described ground staff and air traffic controller strikes across the country, with some accounts saying the action has hit 12 major airports and others saying 14. Ground staff were reported to stage partial work stoppages on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays during three daily time slots. Airlines and industry groups have warned that strikes could add pressure to summer schedules, even as the Santiago operator has pointed to the runway work as the central reason for cancellations there.

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Alternatives and practical steps

That said, if you must reach Galicia while Santiago is closed, nearby alternatives have been named across coverage. A Coruña (Alvedro) and Vigo are the closest, each within roughly one to one and a half hours by road from Santiago. A Coruña is described as about a 50-minute drive and currently handles some international services from London Heathrow, Geneva and Paris.

Vigo is cited as offering seasonal and routed services that sometimes include stopovers, depending on the time of year.

Portugal’s Porto is also suggested as an option for travellers willing to accept a longer land transfer. Press coverage advised allowing more time for connections, and to expect longer journeys from whichever alternative airport you choose. One report noted that A Coruña expected to add routes from Rome, Frankfurt and Warsaw in 2026, but that detail appears only in a single source and should be treated as single-sourced until an airline or the airport confirms it.

Practical guidance repeated by the airport operator and airlines is straightforward. Contact your airline to confirm whether your ticket has been moved, refunded or rebooked. If you prefer to make your own arrangements, check the schedules for A Coruña, Vigo and Porto early, and factor in road transfers and possible seasonal service gaps. If you are transferring from the UK, be aware that the set of carriers serving Santiago varies in different reports, so check both the airline and the airport for the most up-to-date routing information.

For many travellers the closure will be an inconvenience rather than a cancellation of plans, because road transfers from A Coruña or Vigo are doable for most visitors to Santiago. Still, the extra time on the road and the need to coordinate onward transport can matter when you are on a tight schedule, for example for events, pilgrimages or business meetings in the Galician capital.

Industry and press reports also emphasised the need for patience this spring. Airlines and airports have been working through a patchwork of schedule changes while the resurfacing works and strike action are both underway. Where strike action has been reported, disruptions have sometimes affected other Spanish airports as well, so onward connections or multi-leg itineraries deserve particular scrutiny.

If you are planning travel for late May and beyond, note the runway work has a firm reopening date in published schedules. Even so, some sources cautioned that the broader industrial action could still affect services elsewhere in Spain, so it's sensible to keep checking your airline’s notices and the airport operator’s website for updates.

Finally, when exploring alternative routings, consider practicalities beyond flight times. Check road transfer options and booking windows, confirm luggage transfer arrangements if your itinerary crosses different carriers, and allow extra time for passport control and onward travel if you route via Porto in Portugal. The airport operator, carriers and press coverage all point to the same urgent step: contact your airline now if your travel plans overlap the closure.

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The runway is scheduled to reopen on 27 May 2026, according to the airport operator. Until then, passengers should contact their airline to confirm whether their ticket has been moved, refunded or rebooked, or consider travelling via A Coruña, Vigo or Porto if they need to reach Galicia while Santiago remains closed.

This article was created with AI assistance.