Aena rules out Barcelona-El Prat airport transfer to Catalan government
Aena has stated that handing over the Barcelona-El Prat airport to the Catalan government is not feasible, dismissing a transfer similar to the deal reached between the Government and ERC to move Rodalies, Catalonia’s commuter rail service. Maurici Lucena, the head of Aena, called a transfer of the second-largest airport in its network, after Madrid-Barajas, “practically impossible”.
The airport group is 51% owned by the Spanish state through the control of Enaire following partial privatization in 2015. Lucena emphasized that the company’s structure, with both public and private shareholders and the legal framework of Law 18/2014, makes a transfer to Catalonia extraordinarily difficult and that the topic has not been seriously considered as a transfer debate, unlike years past.
“Private shareholders, and also the public, understand that our second-largest asset is the Barcelona airport. Company leadership commits to decisions that benefit shareholders, and I see this transfer as virtually impossible,” Lucena told reporters in a press gathering. “In that sense, the matter is settled.”
The non-expansion stance
More than two years after the suspension of the Barcelona-El Prat expansion due to a lack of Generalitat environmental support, Aena reiterates that the blockage is a grave error that hampers the competitiveness of the Catalan economy and, in turn, the Spanish economy.
Lucena contrasted the substantial expansion planned for Madrid-Barajas with the rejection at El Prat, warning that it will slow Catalonia’s economy and mobility for residents. He added that the ball remains in the Catalan Government’s court.
The lack of political and institutional consensus wrecked a €1.7 billion macro-operation intended to increase the airport’s capacity to prevent future saturation, with a target completion in 2031. After negotiations among the Government, Aena, and the Generalitat appeared poised for success, the regional government unexpectedly withdrew, reformulating the project to minimize environmental impact around the Ricarda pond. This shift led to the expansion’s collapse.
The “challenging” real estate project
Although the El Prat expansion is stalled with no near resumption in sight, Aena continues to pursue a large-scale real estate operation on airport-adjacent lands in Barcelona, as it plans to do in Madrid, Málaga, Sevilla, and Valencia, with further sites later on. The executive noted that Madrid will be the first; in Barcelona, it would be possible but is highly complicated there, and this concern is shared by other autonomous communities.
Aena’s plan involves building an airport city on the El Prat site, spanning 151 hectares to foster office and service developments. Initial steps included launching a hotel project and a logistics hub near Barcelona’s Terminal 2 between this year and 2025, followed by service areas and additional assets for logistics and hangars in 2026 and beyond across Terminal 1 and Terminal 2.
The T1 reform
Aena does plan a renovation of Terminal 1 at El Prat, though not linked to the halted expansion project, which included extending runways. The group intends to replace the security screening machinery used for hand luggage with larger units that require more space to improve traveler comfort, and it plans to move the T1 façade to give the interior greater openness.