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Spain announces historic €13 billion investment in country's airports
Madrid, Barcelona and Alicante airports will receive a huge cash injection, but Murcia’s Corvera is left out
AENA, the airport operator under the Ministry of Transport, has announced a massive investment of almost €13 billion between 2027 and 2031 to modernise Spain’s airports and meet expected passenger demand.
This is what the government has described as a "historic" investment that exceeds the amount planned for the 2022-2026 period by almost €10 billion.
The investment will primarily benefit Madrid-Barajas, Barcelona-El Prat and other tourist airports, according to AENA president, Maurici Lucena, who noted that these funds will largely come from the airport fees paid by airlines for using their infrastructure, a subject that is particularly contentious at the moment.
Of the total amount of €13 billion, around €1.5 billion euros will be allocated to technological, innovation and environmental sustainability projects, so that Spanish airports can achieve the goal of zero emissions by 2030, which President of the Government Pedro Sánchez emphasised would be "twenty years earlier" than the global commitment of the airline sector, set for 2050.
Sánchez has assured that the announced investment "will reach all airports" that come under the AENA umbrella, although the finer details have yet to be revealed.
For now, AENA has specified that €4 billion will be for the expansion of Madrid-Barajas Airport and another €3 billion will go to Barcelona-El Prat.
In addition, it will allocate another €1.5 billion to Málaga Airport, €1.154 billion to Alicante Airport, another €550 million to Tenerife South Airport and €250 million to Tenerife North.
The other 40 AENA airports will therefore share an investment of approximately €2.4 billion.
Madrid, Barcelona and other airports in tourist hotspots have seen passenger numbers increase year after year and are currently reaching their limit; as a result, most of the funds will be concentrated here.
"It's much more than an investment proposal for 2027-2031; it's the strategy that will allow us to continue modernising our airports, providing them with everything they need to adapt to demand," said Sánchez, who added that the planned €13 billion is "the largest investment in our network in recent decades."
One notable exclusion is the Region of Murcia’s Corvera Airport, which won’t benefit from the billions being offered to other terminals. The regional airport's exclusion is due to the fact that it is not owned by AENA, and is the only airport in Spain managed by the state-owned operator under a concession.
AENA, however, has committed to some security and maintenance investments at Corvera during this five-year period, although the amount is unknown.
Neighbouring Alicante-Elche Airport, on the other hand, is one of the main beneficiaries of this investment package. The €1.154 billion will be allocated to the entire terminal area, parking, roads and other elements of the development. The current terminal area is expected to increase in size by almost 30%.
Furthermore, the demolition of the old terminal is planned to build a new area for non-Schengen traffic. Improvements to the taxiways, which will reduce aircraft taxiing times, and the construction of a "fast" exit ramp to "achieve equal operational capacity from both runway heads," are also planned.
The President indicated that, of the more than 320 million passengers expected nationwide by the end of 2025, one in ten will pass through an airport in the Valencian Community, which he referred to as one of the country's "economic development hubs."
Next year, AENA plans to raise airport fees by 6.5%. These fees are precisely the reason behind Ryanair's decision to reduce its operations at some regional airports up to twice this year already, with more cuts hinted at. The Ministry and AENA have chosen to show a united front and categorically refuse to negotiate reductions with the Irish company.
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