Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has unveiled plans for what the government is calling the largest investment in Spain’s airports in recent decades.
The programme, to be carried out by the partly state-owned operator Aena, will see close to €13 billion invested between 2027 and 2031 across the national network.
The announcement was made on 18 September by Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez at Alicante-Elche Miguel Hernández Airport.
Airport operator Aena has announced that it's going to make a record-breaking €12.9 bn (US$13.7 bn) investment to upgrade Spain’s airport infrastructure between 2027 and 2031.
Announcing the initiative during a visit to Alicante-Elche airport on 18 september, Sánchez described the programme as a “historic investment” that would modernise the country’s airport infrastructure while maintaining some of the most competitive fees in Europe. He was joined by Transport Minister Óscar Puente and Aena’s chief executive Maurici Lucena.
The plan is fully supported by the Government of Spain, Aena’s majority shareholder, and represents the most ambitious investment in the country’s airport network in over 20 years.
With almost €13 billion set to be spent, the programme is being billed as a defining moment for Spanish aviation. The investment package includes €9.99 bn (US$10.6 bn) in regulated investments, primarily dedicated to infrastructure directly linked to airport operations, and an additional €2.89 bn (US$3.1 bn) in non-regulated investments, such as commercial facilities and services.
According to Aena, the plan is designed to ensure Spain’s airports can handle the expected increase in air traffic while maintaining the highest standards of safety, service quality, and environmental sustainability.
Prime Minister Sánchez highlighted the significance of the announcement, crediting Aena’s hybrid public-private model for its global leadership.
“This model has brought together excellence in airport management, competitive airport charges, and solid financial results,” he said.
“Our airport network is a strategic asset that increases economic competitiveness, boosts investment and trade, supports tourism, and helps structure our national territory.”
The plan will also play a crucial role in Aena’s environmental targets. The company confirmed that its airport network in Spain will reach Net Zero emissions by 2030, in line with global efforts to decarbonize the aviation sector. Sustainability is a key focus of the plan, with significant investment earmarked for digitalisation, energy efficiency, and green innovation.
The Minister for Transport and Sustainable Mobility, Óscar Puente, added that Spain’s airport system, thanks to past investments, is already one of the most modern and efficient in the world.
He emphasized the government’s commitment to maintaining the competitiveness of Spanish airport charges, despite the scale of the new investment.
He also announced the start of the formal process for drafting the next Airport Regulation Document (DORA 3), which will govern airport development and charges for the 2027–2031 period. The upcoming consultations with airlines and regional governments will shape the final proposal to be submitted to the Directorate General for Civil Aviation and the CNMC.
According to Óscar Puente, during the last ten years, when the current regulatory framework was in force, the law limited the maximum volume of investments at airports, so Aena has not made
"large investments in capacity expansion". "It has constantly invested in improving the safety, quality and technology of airports," he said, highlighting the turn that the new plan represents at a time marked by the constant growth of Spanish airports since the pandemic.
Aena President and CEO, Maurici Lucena stressed that the investments were based purely on technical assessments of future air traffic demand—not political considerations.
“This is not about balancing investment between regions. It’s about what the traffic and infrastructure forecasts require,” he said.
Aena’s pricing model, he added, is designed to make these large-scale investments viable while preserving Europe’s most competitive airport charges.
The funds will be deployed across all 46 airports and two heliports in Aena’s Spanish network. Key investment areas include terminal and airfield upgrades, advanced information technologies, digital infrastructure, enhanced security systems, and new sustainability initiatives.
According to the Spanish Ministerio Transportes y Movilidad Sostenible, Josep Tarradellas Barcelona-El Prat airport handled around 55M passengers and more than 347,000 operations in 2024.
