Binter Canarias: The Regional Airline Linking the Canary Islands to Morocco and Western Sahara

Two Fleets for Two Different Missions

Binter uses 23 ATR 72-600s on inter-island routes and on many links to northwest Africa, while it assigns six Embraer E195-E2s to routes to mainland Spain and some longer-distance European destinations. The combination lets the airline match capacity to the type of route, using the turboprop where demand is more regional and the jet where more speed or range is needed.

The African Network

The schedule to Morocco and Western Sahara has reached 78,000 seats available in a single season, the highest figure in the airline's history on this route, with up to 36 weekly frequencies to eight airports in the region, including Agadir, Marrakech, Fez, Tangier, Dakhla, Laayoune and Guelmim. The ATR 72s also fly to Madeira and Porto Santo, in Portugal, and to Dakar, in Senegal, completing an African network that is rare for a European regional airline of this size.

Inter-Island Routes

The historic core of the business remains the link between the seven islands of the Canarian archipelago, an essential service for residents and tourists moving between Tenerife, Gran Canaria, Lanzarote, Fuerteventura and the smaller islands. These are short, frequent routes, designed more as a local air bridge than as an international tourist flight.

What Passengers Say

• Most praised: a network to Morocco that is unmatched for a European regional airline, and high frequency on inter-island links.
• Most criticized: ATR aircraft perceived as less comfortable on longer routes such as those to mainland Africa, compared with what a jet would offer over similar distances.

Binter Canarias is the most natural choice for anyone moving between the islands of the archipelago or wanting to reach Morocco or Western Sahara from a Canary airport without going through mainland Spain. It is less suitable for those who, on a longer route to the African continent, prefer the comfort of a jet over a turboprop.

If you are flying to one of the smaller destinations in Morocco or Western Sahara, always check the exact weekly frequency of your route: many of these operate only one or two days a week, not every day.