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4w ago

Spanish Airports Handle 150.6 Million Passengers in Record First Half

Capacity pressures at Barcelona, Málaga and Valencia have intensified expansion debates as regional airports lose traffic to seat cuts and new high-speed rail services.

Image
Pasajeros en el control de billetes del aeropuerto de Valencia, este año.
Un avión despega desde el aeropuerto de El Prat.
Aviones de Air Europa e Iberia en Peinador en junio. | V. Currás

Overview

  • Aena’s network recorded 150.6 million passengers in the first half of 2025, a 4.5% increase that marks the busiest opening six months ever.
  • Barcelona-El Prat reached 27.18 million travelers (+4.2%), Málaga processed 12.4 million (+7.8%) and Valencia led growth with 5.6 million passengers (+11.1%).
  • Ryanair’s summer cut of 800,000 seats at seven secondary airports drove a 13.5% drop at Santiago, while Vigo saw a 6.8% decline after Renfe introduced high-speed AVE services.
  • Murcia (+1.7%), A Coruña (+5.1%) and Córdoba (+195%) bucked the downturn thanks to new routes and expanded service by carriers like Binter and Air Nostrum.
  • Surging volumes have pushed terminals to capacity limits, fueling calls for immediate expansions and shaping investment priorities for the 2027–31 DORA regulatory period.