Aena raises airport taxes after airline opposition: How does this affect ticket prices?

BarcelonaWith the intense investment wave expected in the coming years, Aena has approved the largest increase in airport taxes in the last ten years, one of the factors that determine the price of airline tickets. By 2026, the airport manager wants to charge another 68 cents per passenger, 6.5% more, up to a maximum of 11.03 euros per traveler.

For the company, the increase in airport taxes is necessary to maintain financial sustainability and be able to execute the investment plan that will allow the expansion of Barcelona Airport, with an expected outlay of €3.2 billion, but which will also allocate €2.4 billion to expand and remodel Barajas Airport. The approval of the National Commission of Markets and Competition (CNMC) has been granted. Unlike other times, this time Aena will not require approval from the Spanish government and will only require validation by its board of directors.

Currently, airlines pay an average fee of €10.35 per passenger, a tax that airlines usually pass on to the ticket price and which varies by airport. Indirectly, passengers pay taxes through ticket prices and freight fares. Airlines see "uncontrolled growth"

Aena's announcement has sparked opposition from airlines, although Aena maintains that its charges are lower than those at other European airports such as Heathrow, Charles de Gaulle, and Frankfurt. The Association of Airlines (ALA), the leading airline in the sector, is calling for regulatory measures to prevent this "uncontrolled growth," in line with those that have existed over the last decade.

"The successive freezes or reductions in airport charges have led to a virtuous circle, facilitating an increase in air traffic and, with it, tourism, economic activity and connectivity, and all of this has allowed Aena to obtain record profits and distribute multi-million-pound dividends to everyone," Gándara, also general director of EasyJet.

One of the airlines that has always been most critical of this issue is Ryanair. This summer season, the Irish company eliminated 800,000 seats and stopped operating in Jerez and Valladolid due to "excessive charges and the lack of effectiveness of Aena's incentive plans." Today it announced that it is leaving three French airports – Brageirac, Briva and Strasbourg – and will eliminate 25 lines in the next winter season due to the increase in charges.