Agreement for the expansion of El Prat: 3.200 million and 500 more meters of runway

Years after the debate on the expansion of El Prat opened, the Govern, the Ministry of Transport, and Aena have reached an agreement. The Airport will be expanded with an investment of 3.2 billion euros, which will be allocated to extending the third runway, and also to building a satellite terminal and remodeling T1 and T2, with the aim of converting it into an intercontinental hub that will be operational in 2033.

The new project foresees impacts on the natural area of La Ricarda and, to compensate for them, proposes re-naturalizing about 270 hectares of agricultural land, "multiplying by 10" the surface area of the delta affected by the expansion, as announced by the President of the Generalitat, Salvador Illa.

With the expansion, the Govern aims for Josep Tarradellas Airport to reach 90 operations per hour. It estimates that, with the expanded infrastructure, it could move 70 million travelers annually ---in 2024 it reached a record of 55 million--- and about twenty intercontinental routes could be added to the more than 50 already existing, including the longed-for routes to Delhi and Tokyo.

Specifically, the agreement proposes extending the third runway ---the one closest to the sea--- by 500 meters, to achieve the "minimum" length to accommodate intercontinental flights; in total, it will add 3,160 meters in length. The runway expansion will be carried out in parallel with the remodeling of T1 and T2, and the creation of a new satellite terminal, which will involve the construction of an underground train to connect it with T1.

Now, the process of drafting the new airport master plan and the environmental assessment procedure begins; once this phase is completed, the time will come for the technical architectural drafting and, subsequently, for the environmental impact statement. With these procedures, the forecast is to approve the Master Plan in 2028, to begin executing it in 2030 and have the expansion ready in 2033.

Regarding this environmental impact, the proposal has been designed to reduce the impact on natural spaces. By partially using the areas at the ends of the runway, the Ricarda lagoon will preserve most of its water body, as the runway will end before the main arm that connects it to the sea. With the new proposal, the impact on the lagoon is reduced by 87 meters compared to the initial plan, and the Remolar area outside the airport perimeter will not be affected.

Despite causing the disappearance of part of La Ricarda, the proposal "scrupulously complies" with the criteria to preserve and improve the Llobregat delta, and is "aligned with Europe," according to the president of the Generalitat. In fact, the European Commission is studying the proposal, in a context in which Brussels maintains an open sanctioning procedure for the deterioration of species in the Llobregat Delta with the previous expansion of El Prat.

To counteract the environmental impact of the new expansion, the project foresees actions to improve the delta and gain these 270 hectares of renaturalized spaces, with the aim of generating a green belt around the airport and creating an environmental fund, in order to reinforce the protection of the delta. In this sense, Aena has agreed to defend that the proposal allows "to make compatible the development of the intercontinental hub and the preservation of the La Ricarda lagoon."

"Definitive" proposal

"We have a solid, consensual, and definitive proposal to make the improvement and modernization of El Prat airport a reality so that it becomes a great intercontinental connections hub," highlighted the president of the Government, after meeting with the technical commission that has addressed the project. "We cannot waste any more time, we must take action," he remarked, as Catalonia must be able to travel "all over the world without going through Madrid, London, or Frankfurt."

The proposal comes after years of debate, fueled especially by the disagreement in 2021 between the central Government and the Generalitat, then led by Pere Aragonès, mainly due to environmental impacts. The project that was then shelved foresaw an investment of 1,700 million euros, to extend the runway, and the construction of a satellite terminal, without the remodeling of T1 and T2.

Applause and criticism

This expansion will mean, according to the mayor of Barcelona, Jaume Collboni, an improvement in the economic position of both the Catalan capital and Catalonia, as the city and its surroundings will be "better connected." From Moncloa, the spokesperson for the central government, Pilar Alegría, agreed that the expansion of El Prat is "indispensable for the progress of Barcelona, Catalonia, and Spain," and that it will have a "minimal" environmental impact. However, its government partners reject the proposal, and Ernest Urtasun's Ministry of Culture will ask for details on the impact the expansion will have on the rationalist Casa Gomis, which the Ministry acquired in January to install a cultural center managed by the MNAC.

The Government assures that the expansion will not interfere with the Port's operations

For their part, the institutions of the Catalan economic and business fabric have rushed to applaud the agreement, and have gone further. In a joint statement, the Barcelona Chamber of Commerce, Pimec, Racc, Cercle d'Economia, Barcelona Global, FemCat, the Col·legi d'Economistes and Fira de Barcelona have highlighted the need to "to guarantee shared governance and a global vision for the entire Catalan airport system."

In addition, the entities have remarked that they are awaiting all the details of the project, especially its fit with the development of the port and the road and rail network. "The airport and port area constitute a strategic logistical and economic ecosystem for the country, and any expansion proposal must ensure full operational and urban compatibility," they warn. In this regard, the Government has assured that the expansion will not interfere with the Port's operations or its growth in the Catalunya and Prat docks, with cranes approaching 100 meters in height.

From Foment del Treball, the vice-president of the employers' association, Lluís Moreno, has applauded the agreement and has asked for a person to be appointed to lead the project and ensure it progresses quickly. The president of Cecot expressed himself along the same lines, highlighting that, "considering the years this action has been demanded, the proposal comes late."

Currently, the airport has direct connection with 54 intercontinental destinations

The agreement, which generates controversy among the different political parties ---with ERC and the Comuns against it and Junts asking for the integral transfer of the airport, among others---, has been closed despite the opposition of the El Prat de Llobregat City Councilher mayor, Alba Bou, has maintained the "unequivocal" rejection of the council against the expansion: "It is the same project, with the difference that now it affects two natural spaces, instead of one," in reference to La Ricarda and El Remolar. In the same vein, entities such as Ecologistes en Acció and Zeroport have frontally opposed the proposal, and plan to call for mobilizations to express this rejection.

Currently, the airport has direct connection with 54 intercontinental destinations. These cities beyond Europe contribute 7% of its passengers to El Prat ---in Madrid, this figure reaches 30%--- and, of these connections, about twenty are with the American continent, while 17 bring Barcelona closer to Asia, and 15, to Africa. The nearly four million passengers who traveled on these intercontinental routes grew by 22% in 2024, a year in which the airport broke its own record and reached 55 million passengers, which approached the maximum of its current capacity.