SPAIN is gearing up for an enormous airport makeover – with the federal government forking out almost €13 billion to spice up capability at its busiest hubs.
Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez introduced the money bonanza on a go to to Alicante Airport this week, promising larger runways, new terminals and greener tech between 2027 and 2031.
The bulk of the spend – nearly €10bn – will go straight into increasing airports, with one other €1.5bn earmarked for sustainability initiatives.
The largest winners are Barcelona-El Prat and Madrid-Barajas, which is able to scoop almost half the pot. Barcelona is about to get €3.2bn, together with a brand new satellite tv for pc terminal and a 600-metre runway extension to deal with extra long-haul flights. Madrid will pocket €2.4bn to spice up capability to a whopping 90 million passengers a yr, with an enormous €1.7bn makeover of its flagship T4 terminal.
Tourist hotspots are additionally cashing in. Malaga Airport will get €1.5bn, Alicante €1.1bn, Valencia €400m, and Tenerife’s two airports a mixed €800m.
READ MORE: Spain’s airport operator accuses Ryanair CEO of ‘mendacity constantly’ in row over ‘extreme charges’
But the timing has raised eyebrows – coming simply days after funds airline Ryanair slashed over 1,000,000 seats from its Spanish routes in a livid row with airport operator Aena over touchdown charges. Ryanair accused Spain of pricing out airways, whereas Aena hit again, accusing the provider of “blackmail”.
Environmental campaigners are additionally fuming, warning the mega-projects will injury ecosystems simply because the world races to chop carbon emissions.
Despite the backlash, Sánchez insists the plan – dubbed “DORA III” – is important to maintain Spain’s airports from bursting on the seams. Barcelona alone dealt with greater than 55 million passengers final yr, near its 60m restrict.
Construction on the largest initiatives isn’t anticipated to kick off till 2030 – however by then, tens of millions extra vacationers will already be flooding into Spain’s skies.
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