Javier Gándara, Easyjet's Director of Public Policies and the company's General Manager for Southern Europe, has presented the airline's annual results. Beyond the positive figures, they brought a major novelty: Barcelona will host, in the coming months, Easyjet's Digital Hub for all of Europe.
Barcelona is not unfamiliar territory for the British company. Founded 30 years ago at London Luton Airport with two leased Boeing 737s, El Prat was among its first international destinations, along with Nice and Amsterdam, just a few months after its creation.
In 2026, Easyjet will celebrate three decades of flying to the Catalan capital. Next year will also mark a qualitative leap. Barcelona is already one of the airline's 32 operational bases in Europe and the only permanent one in Spain, as Malaga, Palma, and Alicante are seasonal. From now on, it will also add this new European digital hub.
"Since our birth, we have constantly innovated, developing our own technology and a different way of doing things. It was time to concentrate all that in a hub, and we have opted for Barcelona," explained Gándara, a Galician aeronautical engineer, in a face-to-face and virtual meeting with journalists.
The commitment is immediate: starting this very week, the selection process opens to fill the 30 initial positions with which the project will kick off.
In 22@
The plan is so advanced that it already has a headquarters: the building One Parc Central,at number 33 Marroc Street, a 13-story building designed by the studioBatlleiroigthat literally rises above Parc Central del Poblenou, between Bilbao and Espronceda streets. It is the same firm responsible for recent milestones such asthe renovationof the iconic Banco Sabadell building in Diagonal-Balmes, the planning of the Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper grounds of FC Barcelona, or the headquarters of the Telecommunications Market Commission, also in 22@.
The synergies with the district's technological ecosystem, Barcelona's global appeal, and the company's own strategic interest have tipped the balance against other European cities that were also studied. Starting next year, a good part of Easyjet's digital future will be written in Sant Martí, in an area once known as the Catalan Manchester.
The first 30 employees will have profiles focused on product, engineering, artificial intelligence, and marketing. Once the initial phase is over, the team will grow progressively according to the company's needs.
Easyjet, Barcelona and Europe
The airline closed its fiscal year with 756 million euros in pre-tax profit, almost 10% more than the previous year, and transported93.4 million passengers, with an average occupancy close to 90%.Currently, it reaches 163 airports in 37 countries, with a fleet of 350 Airbus manufactured in Europe. In Barcelona, it moved 2.7 million passengers in the last fiscal year and expects to grow 3% in the next fiscal year. 2026 will therefore be a banner year: 30 years flying to El Prat, a decade since the opening of its operational base in the city… and the launch of its digital hub in 22@.
Add The New Barcelona Post as your preferred Google source for free
Stay informed with the latest news.
