Maritime connections between the port of Huelva and the Canary Islands recorded a slowdown in passenger traffic during the first seven months of the year. Between January and July, the regular routes linking the Andalusian port with the islands of Gran Canaria and Tenerife carried a total of 25,113 passengers, representing an 8.09% contraction compared with the 27,322 passengers recorded during the same period last year.
The decline in passenger numbers was accompanied by a similar adjustment in the transport of cars and private vehicles. During the first seven months of the year, the number of vehicles loaded stood at 15,732, a 4.80% decrease compared with the 16,525 transported through July 2025. Despite the cumulative decline, the performance recorded in July slightly cushioned the fall in passenger traffic compared with the first-half figure, when the year-on-year drop had reached 8.46%.
The operating structure of the Huelva-Canary Islands corridor has been reconfigured since April 2024, when Naviera Armas decided to withdraw its services from Huelva and concentrate its operations at the port of Cádiz. Following that market restructuring, the regular connection is operated exclusively by the strategic alliance Canary Bridge Seaways (CBS), established in October 2018 by Bonheur’s Canary Islands subsidiary and Baleària. The company operates a triangular service linking the port of Huelva with La Luz quay in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and the port complex of Santa Cruz de Tenerife.
The maritime routes between Huelva and the two main islands retain their public-service status following the decision issued by the Council of Ministers in February 2022. This legal framework imposes a series of Public Service Obligations (PSOs) on the operating alliance, intended to safeguard territorial connectivity by guaranteeing a minimum frequency of one weekly sailing on each route of the mainland-island link.
The article “The figures behind the decline of the Bonheur-Baleària alliance between Huelva and the Canary Islands” was first published on canarymaritime.com.
