The expansion of the El Prat Airport is once again on everyone's lips. Five years ago, Aena's plan to expand these facilities opened an intense debate in society. The desire to make it more sustainable, larger, and modern to cope with the increase in travelers —tourists and businesspeople— raised all alarms among some social entities concerned about possible ecological damage and damage to the Catalan capital. This year, the airport returns to conversations after the Spanish government has given the green light to the reform of the facilities in a first phase that, for now, puts the brakes on the major expansion —and the most controversial— until 2032. A situation that once again pits two sides against each other: while some defend the need to continue with an expansion that is in line with the increase in travelers, others respond with a resounding no, as the advantages do not outweigh the disadvantages, in their opinion.
The Council of Ministers approved the DORA III (Airport Regulation Document for 2027-2031), which foresees an investment of nearly 13,000 million euros in Aena's Spanish airports, of which 1,760 will go to El Prat. These are not expansion works properly speaking, but preparatory ones, so actions to increase the number of long-haul flights and the satellite terminal will wait at least five years. Specifically, this first round of money is allocated to the reform of terminals T1 and T2, the improvement of T2 and its parking lots, and actions in the airfield and platform. "We are late for the agreed expansion," summarizes Àngel Hermosilla, general secretary of the College of Economists of Catalonia. In a conversation with The New Barcelona Post, the expert assures that the political agreements are already there, but due to so much controversy, the plan has not materialized. However, from the professional college they specify that "it will be done."
A completely different opinion is held by Jaume Osete, spokesperson for the Zeroport platform, exclusively dedicated to defending that this expansion not be carried out. Also in this newspaper, Osete states that the prolongation of this decision and the public impact that the platform has had suggest that "in 2032 there will be no expansion." For them, this plan is only a way to increase tourism and make life in the Catalan capital even more unsustainable. In addition, they also argue that the detrimental effects on the biodiversity of the territory and the health of the municipalities close to the airport are too high. A situation that they do not see the same way from the College, as they assure that there is a clear will to reach the necessary agreements to alleviate the situation: "We have always been a territory of pacts," recalls Hermosilla.
Àngel Hermosilla (College of Economists of Catalonia): "We have always been a territory of pacts"
Getting to the bottom of this eternal controversy is complicated. From the beginning there is a common factor that is shared, but with opposing views: the increase in visitors. The first time the expansion of El Prat was put on the table it responded to the need to be able to accommodate all visitors to the country, especially in the Catalan capital. In this way, saturation is what worries Aena the most and the possibility that there will come a time when there is no space within the airport as it is known. That is why there is a clear commitment to improve and expand the facilities to receive more visitors. It is also sought to be an international hub, that is, a space where business trips gain importance and are easily accessible. A satellite terminal and the expansion of one of the runways to have longer flights would play in favor of these ideas.
However, Zeroport assures that these improvements will only lead to "more tourists in Barcelona" each time, Osete points out. In 2025, the Catalan capital was the city with the highest density of visitors per square kilometer in the world. A situation that —in Osete's opinion— would only worsen if this supposed expansion arrives. "Barcelona is about to die of success," laments the platform's spokesperson, who also reiterates that an expansion, however sustainable the new facilities may be, will not alleviate the "tourism crisis we are experiencing." In contrast, Hermosilla, from the College, confirms that this expansion could bring quality visitors and elevate Barcelona and grow the economy: "There is a lot of leisure and business potential with the expansion."
Jaume Osete (Zeroport Platform): "Barcelona is about to die of success"
The other essential point of this dispute is the ecosystem and biodiversity of the territory, as well as the care and health of citizens. On one hand, we have La Ricarda, the protected lagoon of the Llobregat delta, integrated into the Natura 2000 Network, which would be completely affected by the extension of the runway closest to the sea at El Prat Airport. Zeroport Platform confirms that there are not enough reasons to "endanger Catalan biodiversity," says Osete. Meanwhile, Aena proposes to compensate for the loss by creating a new artificial lagoon in nearby agricultural land (up to 10 times the affected area). An open debate that is now not only being raised in Catalan territory. The conflict has reached the European Commission, where entities such as DEPANA and SEO/BirdLife have presented evidence of the failure of environmental measures proposed by Aena, as La Ricarda is protected by European directives that could end up stopping the project.
While it is true that Europe's concern has focused on La Ricarda, experts in favor of the expansion specify that sustainability and environmental care are closely linked to this project, as this expansion aims to make the airport more sustainable. In any case, from the College they reaffirm that "the Catalan economy requires these projects to maintain its competitiveness and continue growing in a changing and more competitive international context."
Governmental division
The expansion of El Prat Airport was already on the political agenda in 2021 and remains so today. However, some of the political parties' positions have changed over the years. For the spokesperson of the Zeroport platform, this is also a sign that "opposition to the project has grown." From the other side, Hermosilla assures that they simply "have not reached an agreement" and adds that "the political will is there." The reality is that there is some truth in both statements. Evidently, there are clear examples within Parliament of opposition and approval of the plan, which have not changed in recent years. Thus, PP and PSC remain favorable to this expansion, while CUP and Comuns demand that it not be carried out. However, ERC remains against it, but from a position much more linked to the management of the airport and not so much to the conflict with the environment as the other political parties mentioned. The most notable change, however, is taken by Junts. The party promoted this expansion in 2021, but this year it prioritizes first changing the operation of the current runways and only considers physical expansion as a second option.
In short, the expansion of El Prat Airport is not foreseen before 2031, and some question whether it will ever be carried out. The project does not have a clear consensus, neither politically nor socially: while some sectors defend it as a way to boost the Catalan economy and strengthen Barcelona's international position, others oppose the environmental and territorial implications it would entail. Its outcome will therefore depend on how these opposing interests are ultimately balanced—or not.