Barcelona-El Prat Airport (BCN) could see a €3.2 billion expansion project if plans unveiled by the Catalan government on June 10, 2025, finally materialize.
The key elements of the proposal, which is co-sponsored by the Spanish Ministry of Transportation and AENA, Spain’s airport operator, are a lengthening the airport’s shortest runway by 500 meters (from 2,660 to 3,160 meters) and the construction of a new satellite terminal at the northeastern edge of the airport’s perimeter. The two existing passenger terminals (T1 and T2) will also be upgraded.
These additions would make it possible for the airport to handle a larger number of widebody aircraft, reach 90 operations per minute (from the 80 that the airport can currently handle), and help accommodate further growth in passenger traffic.
Barcelona-El Prat Airport (BCN) underwent a major expansion just over a decade and half ago, including the opening of what is currently its main terminal building (Terminal 1), which entered service in 2009. However, the continued growth of air traffic, with passenger numbers climbing from around 30 million in 2010 to more than 55 million in 2024, has led the authorities to consider investing in additional capacity.
The proposed new terminal will allow the airport to take capacity past the 70 million passenger mark.
A key element of this project is the extension of the airport’s secondary, seaside, runway, which is currently shorter than the main, inland one. The shorter length of one of the runways, coupled with operational noise-related restrictions on the other, currently restricts the pace of operations, particularly when it comes to the takeoff of fully loaded widebody aircraft.
A proposed lengthening of the runway has been on the cards for a number of years, but it has met strong opposition from environmental groups, since it would involve encroaching into two areas of protected marshland. In response, the proponents of the airport’s expansion have suggested a number of mitigation measures, including the restoration and expansion of other natural habitats adjacent to the airport.
The project has also proven controversial among segments of the local public who fear the airport’s expansion will fuel what they perceive to be an overreliance of the local economy on tourism and the pressure it may inflict on public services and the price of housing.
However, those in favor of the expansion have pointed out the need to decongest the current facility and attract more long-haul connections that may contribute to the further internationalization of the Catalan economy.
The project must now undergo a lengthy approval process as part of the airport’s development masterplan, which is due to be approved in 2028. If given the green light, works could start by 2030 with the expectation that it may be completed by 2033.
