El Prat airport expansion gets green light: €3.2 billion to be invested to reach 70 million passengers

The Catalan government, Ministry of Transport and AENA have agreed to expand the Barcelona-El Prat Airport, in order to increase capacity and make it an intercontinental hub. The works will be ready in 2033 and with a budget of €3.2 billion, will add 500 metres to one of its main runways. This extension of the runway is the minimum needed to ensure it can serve intercontinental flights with wide-body aircraft while having the least impact possible on wildlife areas nearby.

The estimated investment, in addition to extending and improving the runway, will go towards remodelling Terminal 1, remodelling and improving Terminal 2 and adding a new satellite terminal. This new terminal will also have an underground train connecting it to Terminal 1. This project aims to increase the airport’s capacity to 90 operations an hour so it can welcome 70 million passengers a year. Currently, the facility can only handle 80 operations an hour.

Regarding environmental impact, the final project only encroaches on part of the La Ricarda natural space and also has less of an effect on the Remolar lagoon. Plus, La Ricarda will be improved ecologically, as each hectare affected will be offset with 10 hectares to optimise aquatic habitats in the area, creating a green ring connecting the protected areas and farmlands around the airport.

The Catalan business and economic sector welcomed the news of the Barcelona-El Prat Airport expansion. Foment del Treball Nacional has calculated that the expansion will add 1.8 points to the Catalan GDP (€5 billion annually) and create 45,000 direct jobs.

Josep Tarradellas Barcelona-El Prat Airport welcomed 5,176,436 total passengers in May, up 3.7% from the same month last year. In the first 5 months of 2025, the airport also saw a record number of users, with 21,887,027 or 4.1% more than January-May 2024.