Santiago de Compostela is served by Santiago–Rosalía de Castro Airport (SCQ), the main airport for the Galicia region in northwestern Spain. It functions as an important domestic hub and offers a growing selection of international arrival routes, primarily from European cities, serving both pilgrimage tourism and general travel into SCQ.
The airport's most important arrival routes are domestic connections from Madrid (MAD) and Barcelona (BCN), providing access from Iberia and Vueling's global networks into Santiago. Other domestic departure points include the Balearic and Canary Islands. For international arrivals, direct flights operate from key European hubs like London (STN), Frankfurt (FRA), Paris (ORY), and Milan (MXP) into SCQ, as well as from Geneva and Zurich.
Santiago Airport is a focus city for the national airline Iberia (via its regional operator Air Nostrum) and the low-cost carrier Vueling for arrivals into SCQ, which compete on domestic routes. Ryanair operates several international European arrival routes into Santiago. Other airlines like Lufthansa and easyJet also serve their hubs from SCQ, providing additional connectivity.
To secure cheap flights to Santiago de Compostela, book domestic arrivals from Madrid or Barcelona several weeks in advance into SCQ. For European arrivals to Santiago, aim to book 2-3 months ahead for the best prices. Use flight comparison tools and check low-cost carriers like Ryanair and Vueling for direct European routes into SCQ. Flying on weekdays (Tuesday-Thursday) into Santiago is typically cheaper. For arrivals from beyond Europe into SCQ, the most common and often cheapest strategy is to fly to Madrid (MAD) first on a competitive long-haul route, then take a domestic flight to Santiago de Compostela. Compare the total cost of this option against a through-fare on a single airline into SCQ.