Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas airport Main infrastructures in Europe. Last year, it had 60.2 million passenger traffic, an increase of 18.9% compared to the previous year.. The infrastructure ranks third in the European Union by number of passengers, fifteenth in the world, and first in Spain in terms of passenger traffic, operations and cargo. Barajas has up to four terminals (T1, T2, T3 and T4), a satellite building for Terminal 4 (T4-S) and four landing strips. The T4 complex became operational in 2006, making Barajas the airport with the largest surface area in Europe, with an area of 35 square kilometers. Now the Government is giving the signal to start the expansion work, as President Pedro Sánchez announced this Friday at Fitur 2024.
In 2023, these infrastructure expansion works were implemented with an investment of 2.4 billion euros and are now approved. The action has two main objectives: increasing the surface area for passengers by expanding both the berths and processors of the terminal buildings T4 and T4S towards the north, and the transformation of terminals T1, T2 and T3 into a single terminal. Reorganizing the terminal, facilities and building a building in front of them where all check-in, security and baggage collection operations will be centralized. The goal is to increase service quality and reach 90 million passengers annually by strengthening hub operations and increasing capacity. and strengthening Barajas among major international hubs.
This expansion adds to those already proposed for Josep Tarradellas Barcelona-El Prat Airport. The aim is for this infrastructure to become one. centre sustainable international is a long-term project aimed at responding to the historical claim of Catalonia Having long-distance connections with America, Asia and Africa.
Before the pre-pandemic levels recover
Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas airports and Josep Tarradellas Barcelona-El Prat closed 2023 with no recovery in pre-pandemic passenger numbersAlthough Aena’s entire network of Spanish airports set a new record last year, they recorded 2.5% and 5.3% less respectively. In particular, the capital’s airport recorded a total of 60.2 million passengers in 2023, an 18.9% increase compared to the previous year, while Barcelona airport reached 49.9 million passengers, 20% more than in 2022.
The remaining airports in Spain have also been gradually recovering their pre-pandemic numbers since the end of 2022, according to Aena data consulted by Europa Press. But, Both Barajas and El Prat For two consecutive months in November and December, they recorded numbers above pre-pandemic passenger numbers.
Previously, February 2020 was the last month for both airports to exceed 2019 figures, before the Covid-19 pandemic emerged and a state of alarm was declared in Spain and many other countries. In total, Spanish airports in the Aena network set a new record; last year welcomed more than 283 million passengers in 2023; This figure is 16.2% above the figure recorded in 2022 and even increases the 2019 figure by almost 3%. In the words of Aena’s president and CEO, Maurici Lucena says these record figures in air transport are “fundamental for the economic and social development of Spain”. “We should all congratulate ourselves on them” added.