Air Europa Madrid-Barranquilla: direct flight from Dec 2026

What time does the Air Europa Madrid-Barranquilla flight leave?

Three flights a week from 18 December 2026

18 December 2026, announced start Monday, Friday, Sunday 10h 10min to Barranquilla Boeing 787 Dreamliner

Air Europa has announced a route from Madrid-Barajas, flown on a Boeing 787 on Mondays, Fridays and Sundays from 18 December 2026, according to AeroRoutes and Flymag. Flight UX167 leaves Madrid at 3:25 pm and lands in Barranquilla at 7:35 pm, local time. The return, UX168, departs Barranquilla at 9:35 pm and lands in Madrid at 12:40 pm the next day.

These times are published, not guaranteed. Flymag points out that the days, the times and the aircraft type can still change.

• Night arrival: you land at 7:35 pm in Barranquilla, so your first evening starts with the trip to your accommodation.
• Six-hour time difference in December between Madrid and Colombia.
• Return at 9:35 pm: your last day there is short, so build that into your itinerary.

Pixidia tip: with a 7:35 pm landing, book your airport transfer before you travel rather than looking for a taxi when you come out. It is the option suggested below.

Private Arrival or Departure Transfer: Ernesto Cortissoz Airport★ 4.9 · 20 reviewsPartner link from €16.46 per person (based on 2 people, checked across six dates from December to January) from €16.46 per person(based on 2 people, checked across six dates from December to January)

See dates

Is the Air Europa flight actually going ahead?

According to AeroRoutes, the route is announced, bookings are open, and it is still subject to approval by the Colombian government. The Colombian press goes further. According to La República of 14 September 2026, Aerocivil gave its green light for sales on 10 July 2026, but the formal authorisation was still being completed on that date. Aviación al Día described a file still under technical and legal review in July.

We did not consult any official Aerocivil publication on this route. The status to keep in mind is therefore: announced, sold by the airline, authorised according to the press, with no final regime set out in any official document we have read.

Is there already a direct flight to the Colombian Caribbean coast?

Yes, to Cartagena de Indias. World2Fly has operated a direct route since 3 July 2026, with one flight a week on Fridays, on an Airbus A350. The airline announced the route on 30 October 2025. Air Europa therefore comes after that route, and Barranquilla would become the second direct link between Madrid and the Colombian Caribbean. One timetable aggregator shows two flights a week from August 2026: we use the frequency the airline announced, to be checked when you book.

Sources: AeroRoutes (28 July 2026) for Air Europa; World2Fly press release (announcement of 30 October 2025) for Cartagena. Checked on 12 November 2026.

For another recent direct route, our article on the Delta Nice-Boston direct flight is another example of a new non-stop route. The choice will depend mostly on your final destination. Barranquilla gives access to the Atlántico coast, Cartagena to the Bolívar coast. For readers comparing options, departure time matters too: Air Europa leaves Madrid in the late afternoon, World2Fly in the early afternoon.

Barranquilla and its coast: what to do after you land?

Barranquilla, Puerto Colombia and the Ciénaga de Mallorquín

820,000 visitors in 2026 (announced) Mangroves and kayaking Atlántico coast

The Barranquilla development agency announces more than 820,000 visitors in 2026 and a 90% hotel occupancy rate, according to Forbes Colombia of 30 October 2026. These are local promotional figures, not audited, so quote them as such.

For days out, open sources point to three options. In Puerto Colombia, Muelle 1888 opened in August 2024: 6,800 m², seafront restaurants and opening hours from 10 am to 10 pm, according to El Heraldo. That data dates from 2024 and needs checking. The Ciénaga de Mallorquín is a mangrove where you can kayak and walk the trails, according to 2026 tourist guides. Castillo de Salgar is described as a beach with a sunset view, but we read no official source on it.

• Muelle 1888, Puerto Colombia: seafront promenade and restaurants, to check for 2026.
• Ciénaga de Mallorquín: mangrove, kayaking and trails.
• Castillo de Salgar: beach and sunset views.

Pixidia tip: we found neither an official, usable listing nor up-to-date opening hours for the Museo del Caribe. Check on site before you count on a visit. The BAQTour, a tourist bus reported by the local press, runs on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays: confirm the operator before you book.

Do you need a visa, a Check-Mig or a yellow fever certificate?

The points in this section are not entry rules set out in the texts we have read. They are formalities to check before you travel, because the sources contradict each other or are undated.

Sources: BootsNall (March 2026), UK government travel advice: Colombia, Migración Colombia, INCP (25 June 2026), CDC (16 October 2026). Checked on 12 November 2026.

The US$1 exit tax

Decree 0625 of 19 June 2026 sets a tax of US$1 per international air ticket, paid at purchase at the day’s rate. The press mentions collection from the end of September 2026. The decree applies 90 days after publication in the Diario Oficial, a date we did not find. The UK government’s advice says departure taxes are usually included in the ticket price and does not describe a separate exit tax. Ask your travel agent or airline whether the tax is already on your ticket.

The Check-Mig

Migración Colombia says there is an online form to fill in for air travellers, between 72 hours and 1 hour before the flight. An April 2026 reply from the authority, cited by the press, said it was not compulsory. The UK government’s advice also calls it optional, but notes that it can speed up entry. The official page is the reference: read it again on the day you travel, and keep the confirmation email.

The visa and yellow fever

For British citizens, the UK government’s travel advice confirms that no visa is needed for a tourist or business stay of up to 90 days. BootsNall (March 2026) gives the same answer for EU citizens. Neither is a Colombian official text, so ask the Colombian embassy before you leave. For yellow fever, the CDC recommends vaccination for Colombia. Guides say a certificate is required to enter Tayrona, but no Colombian text we read imposes an entry requirement on foreign arrivals. The UK government says a certificate is needed when arriving from certain countries with a transmission risk, and may be asked for when travelling to high-risk areas. Check TravelHealthPro for the latest details.

Is Tayrona open to visitors in December 2026?

Tayrona National Natural Park is reached from Santa Marta, not from Barranquilla. It has closed several times in 2026. A resolution of 17 February 2026 ordered a closure for public risks, followed by a partial reopening in March, with extra police and access restrictions. A press summary mentions a fifteen-day closure until 2 November 2026 and a reopening on 3 November. The article we read on this point is dated November 2025, so the reopening in November 2026 is not confirmed by an open source.

Source: Semana, 8 January 2026, which reports resolution 551 of 19 December 2025. Checked on 12 November 2026.

Cartagena, to link with Barranquilla

Cartagena, already linked to Madrid by direct flight

Direct flight from Madrid Since 3 July 2026 Getsemaní district

Cartagena has been reachable on a direct flight from Madrid since 3 July 2026. An itinerary can therefore combine the two cities, in either direction. We have no sourced journey time between Barranquilla and Cartagena: check the connections and the transport on arrival before you book nights.

For the rest of the country, our Colombia 2026 guide covers Medellín, Cartagena and the coffee region. We do not repeat its general budget here, to avoid duplication. The points specific to the Barranquilla route are in this article.

Pixidia tip: if your trip starts in Cartagena and ends in Barranquilla, allow two hours of slack between your transfers and the return flight from Barranquilla.

Barranquilla Carnival 2027: which dates to keep?

The official Barranquilla Carnival website lists the 2027 edition as Saturday 6 to Tuesday 9 February 2027. The detailed programme was not published when we checked on 12 November 2026. The main parade and the Batalla de Flores are the highlights guides mention; confirm their exact dates on the official site.

An online guide gives dates of 9 to 12 March 2027. That is incompatible with the calendar: Ash Wednesday falls on 10 February 2027. Do not book on the basis of that date.

During Carnival, hotels fill up fast. Book early, especially if you want to be there for a particular parade.

How much does a Madrid-Barranquilla ticket cost?

No fare has been verified for December 2026. The figures below are dated, indicative quotes, with their direction and dates where the source gives them. Pixidia does not sell tickets: these prices come from third-party sources.

Sources: Minuto60 (September 2026), Air Europa Colombia offers, Momondo and Kayak (search extracts; sales pages not opened). Checked on 12 November 2026.

The launch fare does not say which direction or ticket type it covers. The comparison sites show about €908 to €1,031 for January to April dates, which are not the launch dates. For a budget, check the price at the time you book, and compare the total with the exit tax if it is charged.

When is the best time to go?

December to March is the dry season. The averages published by Adonde-y-Cuando give about 56 mm of rain in December, then about 5 mm in January and February, with roughly 9 hours of sunshine a day in January and 12 in February. These are multi-year averages, not forecasts for your dates.

December suits an early arrival in the dry season. February is the driest month, but it is also Carnival month, when demand peaks.

Based on your travel style

• For a couple: arrive at night, keep the first day for the coast, then head to Cartagena if your dates allow. The journey between the two cities still needs checking.
• On a budget: compare prices across several dates, and do not rely on the launch fare without knowing its direction and class.
• With family: the 7:35 pm arrival and the 9:35 pm return mean booking a transfer in advance. Plan a day with nothing scheduled after you land.
• With reduced mobility: we have no sourced information on the accessibility of the airport or the sites visited. Ask the airline and the providers before you book.
• For nature lovers: the Ciénaga de Mallorquín suits half a day. For Tayrona, check the access situation on the day.

What other guides don’t tell you

The points below are missing from the guides and sales pages we checked. Each one links to an open source, with the date we consulted it.

• Cartagena is already linked to Madrid by direct flight. Pixidia’s Colombia guide, updated on 6 February 2026, does not mention any direct flight from Madrid. World2Fly has announced this route since 3 July 2026 (World2Fly press release, consulted on 12 November 2026).
• The regulatory status of the route is not settled. The Colombian press reports an Aerocivil green light on 10 July 2026, with formalisation still under way on 14 September 2026 (La República, consulted on 12 November 2026). The sales pages do not mention it.
• The US$1 exit tax appears neither in the guides nor on the sales pages. It comes from decree 0625 of 19 June 2026, paid at purchase at the day’s rate (INCP, consulted on 12 November 2026).
• Carnival 2027 runs from 6 to 9 February. An online guide gives March dates, which do not fit the calendar (official Carnival website, consulted on 12 November 2026).
• Tayrona has a precise 2026 fee. The Colombia guide mentions the yellow fever certificate for the park but gives no fee: COP 43,000 for a non-resident foreigner aged 25 and over, Bahía Concha sector (Semana, 8 January 2026, consulted on 12 November 2026).