El Prat Airport breaks records: over 55 million passengers in 2024 and up 5.4% in January

Josep Tarradellas Barcelona-El Prat Airport ended 2024 with 55,034,955 passengers, up 10.3% over 2023, setting a new all-time annual record. In theory, this figure means the airport has reached its maximum capacity, which had been set at 55 million passengers. However, the airport operator Aena affirms there is still room for further growth by utilising off-peak hours and reducing seasonal fluctuations.

Of these more than 55 million travellers, 54,932,207 were on commercial flights. Among them, 40,721,234 travelled on international flights, while 14,210,973 were on domestic flights. In 2024, El Prat handled 347,977 operations, up 9.1% from 2023. In terms of cargo, freight volume also saw significant growth, reaching 181,688 tonnes, a 16.1% increase from the previous year.

It is also worth noting that Josep Tarradellas Barcelona-El Prat Airport started the new year with 5.4% more passengers in January than the same month last year, with a total of 3,695,529 passengers, according to Aena. This marks yet another new monthly record.

The growing number of users has once again revived the proposal to expand El Prat Airport in order to make it a sustainable international hub. This project seeks to address Catalonia’s long-standing demand for long-haul connections to America, Asia and Africa.