Volotea considers cutting fleet to 30 aircraft amid debt restructuring

Spanish low-cost carrier Volotea is preparing to embark on a restructuring of its financial and operational setup that could see its fleet shrink by as many as 14 aircraft, alongside a reduction in the workforce at its Barcelona headquarters.

The airline is negotiating with Spain’s state industrial holding company SEPI and other creditors over the refinancing of a €200 million government-backed loan, according to Spanish media reports. 

The financing, approved in June 2022 through the country’s Fund for the Support of the Solvency of Strategic Companies, is due for repayment in 2029.

Volotea is reportedly aiming for a deadline of December to conclude a refinancing agreement, and is also preparing a capital increase. 

Around 50 jobs at its Barcelona headquarters are expected to be affected by the restructuring, among a total workforce across its multinational operation of more than 2,000.

Volotea considers reducing fleet to 30 aircraft

The restructuring could involve a significant reduction in the airline’s fleet, from 44 aircraft currently to between 30 and 35. 

Volotea is also looking to concentrate its operations on the Airbus A320, although the precise composition and timing of any fleet changes have not been made public.

The carrier, which operates more than 20 bases around Europe, including in Italy and France, specialises in connecting small and mid-sized cities. 

Its current fleet is made up of both Airbus A319 and A320 ceos. 

Regional carrier scales back its flights

The proposed reduction comes as the airline scales back parts of its Spanish network, including services to the Canary Islands.

Volotea has recently removed four of the nine routes it operated from Lanzarote, ending services from César Manrique-Lanzarote airport to Brest, Bordeaux, Strasbourg and Toulouse.

In total, around 20 routes across Spain are understood to be affected by the wider schedule review, with services also withdrawn from Fuerteventura, Gran Canaria and Tenerife South.

Elsewhere, the airline has announced plans to grow. 

In July, Volotea revealed the opening of a new operating base in Ancona, on Italy’s Adriatic coast. 

The new base, which is due to begin operations in December 2026, will be Volotea’s 22nd operating base in Europe, and will be home to one Airbus A320.

Turbulence ahead after 15 years of flying

Volotea was founded in 2011 by Carlos Muñoz and Lázaro Ros, who previously founded Vueling. 

Over the last decade, it has been one of the fastest-growing airlines in Europe. In May 2026, Volotea reached the milestone of transporting 85 million passengers across its entire network.

Volotea currently serves 110 airports and has 21 operating bases including Bilbao, Limoges, and Verona.

Over 2026, Volotea will offer more than 430 routes (over half exclusively served by the carrier), approximately 13 million seats (up 7% versus 2025), and operate over 80,000 flights.

It remains unclear exactly how the route network will be impacted by the latest restructuring.