Key points:

• Overall traffic: 2,169,080 passengers and 545,359 vehicles crossed through Andalusian ports in OPE 2026's first two months (15 June–15 August), mostly North Africans living in Europe returning home for summer vacation.
• Andalusia's share of Spain: These ports handled 96.9% of Spain's total passengers and 95.9% of total vehicles.
• Year-on-year decline: Both passengers (-2.7%) and vehicles (-1.7%) were down slightly compared with the same period in 2025.
• Algeciras dominates: Spain's busiest crossing port saw 3,258 sailings, 903,658 outbound passengers, and 251,473 outbound vehicles — all down 5–8% from 2025. An additional 295,639 passengers and 82,520 vehicles had already returned through it.
• What's next: The return phase began 16 August and runs through 15 September.
• Full-year forecast: Despite the early dip, 2026 is expected to finish about 3% above 2025's totals (which were 3,488,885 passengers and 857,784 vehicles overall, with roughly 3.37 million passengers and 830,000 vehicles via Andalusia).

According to a statement from the Spanish Government Delegation in Andalusia, 408,673 vehicles departed from the five Andalusian ports, while 136,686 travelled in the return direction. The combined total of 545,359 vehicles represented 95.9% of the Spanish total of 568,333.

This was also 1.7% below the 555,258 vehicles handled by Andalusian ports during the first two months of the 2025 operation. Algeciras in Cádiz remained by far the busiest departure port for crossings of the Strait. It handled 3,258 sailings, 5.5% fewer than during the first two months of 2025, as well as 903,658 passengers, down 7.6%, and 251,473 vehicles, down 5.7%.

In the return direction, 295,639 passengers and 82,520 vehicles had already passed through Algeciras. The outbound phase of OPE 2026 began on 15 June, while the return phase starts today, 16 August, and will end on 15 September.

This year’s operation is expected to exceed the 2025 figures by approximately 3%. Last year, 3,488,885 passengers and 857,784 vehicles travelled between Europe and Africa on 10,536 sailings. Of these, 3,373,697 passengers and 829,774 vehicles passed through the five Andalusian ports.