The number of passengers travelling through Spanish airports in August rose 9.5% from 2022 to 29.8 million, state-controlled airport operator Aena said in a statement on Tuesday. Spanish airports rely more on leisure and less on business travel, which has recovered more slowly from the pandemic. Airports Council International Europe said on Tuesday that passenger traffic across the region in July, the peak month of the summer, came closest ever to a full recovery to pre-COVID levels, but still stood 3% below.