Overview
- Wizz Air announced on Thursday, July 30, 2026 that it will open an operational base at Santiago de Compostela (Lavacolla) with one aircraft permanently based from February 1, 2027.
- The airline published seven immediate new routes — five domestic to Tenerife Norte, Gran Canaria, Fuerteventura, Málaga and Zaragoza and two international to Rome–Fiumicino and Warsaw–Modlin — with the international services starting in December 2026 and the national flights from February 2027.
- Company forecasts reported by local press say the Lavacolla base could grow to about ten destinations and offer close to one million seats per year, and Wizz Air says the base will improve operational efficiency and create local jobs.
- Coverage notes the announcement follows a municipal agreement with Santiago whose financial terms have not been disclosed and that Aena adjusted its regional bonification list so Lavacolla can benefit, a change that reportedly lowers costs by about €12 per passenger.
- Local officials and papers frame the move as a setback for coordinated Galician airport planning and as a competitive blow to Vigo (Peinador), with likely impacts on route distribution, carrier competition and local tourism promotion strategies.