The Council of Ministers gave the green light today to the airport regulation document for the period 2027-2031, known as DORA III. This includes an investment of nearly 13 billion euros across the entire network of Spanish airports managed by Aena, of which 1.963 billion euros will be invested in the airports of Catalonia.
Read more The age at which Spaniards leave their parents’ home rises again, to 30.2 years
Specifically, El Prat will receive 1.76 billion euros over the next five years, with the reconfiguration of terminals T1 and T2 as the main action. In the first, a movement of the facade will be carried out, which will be shifted 38 meters towards the parking area, which is located opposite. As a consequence, Aena will demolish the historic control tower, which ceased operation in 2005, and will cover much of the gap next to the parking areas to accommodate all current roadways – taxis, buses, VTC… -.
The terminal will also gain surface area to the sides, through the partial covering of the courtyards. With this intervention, T1 will gain 70,000 square meters, which Aena will use to increase the check-in area and optimize an operation that is currently at capacity limits.
As for the old T2, it will undergo a thorough renovation, which will include the relocation of Miró’s mural to the main facade of T1.
In addition, improvements will be made to the airfield and the current runways, such as the construction of a new rapid exit taxiway associated with the cross runway or the complete renovation of the sea runway (the takeoff runway).
These works are independent of the airport expansion, which will involve extending the third runway and constructing a satellite terminal. However, DORA III does include allocations to draft the expansion projects and environmental compensations.
Read more Health and unions acknowledge that Madrid has been manipulating surgical waiting lists for years
This schedule has disappointed some of the economic agents in Catalonia. The Chamber of Commerce considers that, as the new investment plan is designed, the airport expansion will be extended until 2035 in the best-case scenario.
When the Generalitat Government presented the extension agreement with the central government and Aena in June last year, it explained that the works would be completed around 2033. This was reflected in the schedule presented to civil society, recalls Alícia Casart, infrastructure director of the Chamber. In her opinion, Barcelona airport cannot afford to delay the expansion: “it is very saturated and the demand for intercontinental flights continues to grow.”
Therefore, the chamber entity believes that Aena and the Government should have included specific allocations to carry out the expansion works in the 2027-2031 period.
“We run the risk of accumulating new delays by not planning the corresponding allocations and investments coherently with the strategic and urgent nature of the project,” they point out. The movement of intercontinental passengers represents 75% of the entire airport, while the segment of intercontinental travelers reached 8 million last year. The demand for these flights, moreover, continues to rise despite infrastructure limitations, which last year exceeded its technical passenger limit.
In any case, Aena already explained at the end of 2025 that the transformation of El Prat, estimated at more than 3.2 billion, would be carried out in two investment blocks. The first, with the aforementioned 1.7 billion, would be executed until 2031 and will be allocated to the renovation of T1 and T2, actions that do not require Brussels’ permission as they do not affect protected natural areas. The rest, with the actual expansion works, would begin from 2032, provided the European Commission gives the green light.
Read more The Eurochamber debates Ceuta: “It is a sign that efforts must be doubled”
