Cheap flights from Dublin to Malaga

The shoulder weeks on either side of late autumn — October, and early December before the school holidays — often come in only slightly above November, the cheapest month to fly this route. Summer is the busy stretch on the Costa del Sol: demand from Irish holidaymakers builds from late June and stays high through August, and Christmas and New Year fill planes with winter sun-seekers too. Midweek departures usually cost less than weekend ones, and booking a summer trip a couple of months ahead softens the fare jump.

Start with what the fare includes: Ryanair and Vueling sell tickets that cover a seat and a small under-seat bag, with cabin and checked bags as paid extras, while Aer Lingus and the full-service carriers usually include a full-size cabin bag and price checked luggage by fare type. Ryanair and Aer Lingus fly this route nonstop, and Emerald Airlines, which operates Aer Lingus Regional services, also sells fares on it. The one-stop options route through their home hubs — Vueling via Barcelona, Iberia Express via Madrid, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines via Amsterdam, Scandinavian Airlines via Copenhagen, Transavia France via Paris and BA CityFlyer via London.

You land at Malaga Airport, which sits just southwest of the city and closer to the centre than most Spanish holiday airports. A suburban train runs from the terminal into town and continues down the coast towards the resorts, so it works for travellers staying in Malaga and for those heading along the Costa del Sol; buses and taxis wait outside arrivals too. Watch for summer, when the hire car desks build queues, and if your flight lands late, check the last train before defaulting to a taxi.

Currency

EUR (€)

Power sockets

Type C, F · 230 V

Language

Spanish

Emergency number

112, 061, 091

Driving side

right

Calling code

+34

Internet domain

.es

EU / Schengen

EU member, Schengen area

Population of Malaga

599 k (2025)

Time zone

UTC+02 (Europe/Madrid)

Country facts: Wikidata

• If a one-stop fare is sold as separate tickets, leave a generous gap between flights, because the second airline will not rebook you after a delay.
• Check what the base fare includes: Ryanair and Vueling cover only a small under-seat bag, and cabin or checked bags are extras.
• Weigh a nonstop flight against a cheaper one-stop through Barcelona, Madrid, Amsterdam or London, and factor in the extra travel time.
• An Irish passport is enough for entry to Spain, so check that its expiry date covers your whole trip before you pay.
• Fares swing with the seasons on this route, so look at November and the shoulder weeks before locking in summer dates.