An overview of El Prat Airport: What will change with the expansion?

BarcelonaThe growth of El Prat Airport in figures over the last few decades is undeniable. Last year, it surpassed 55 million passengers for the first time, practically double the 27.4 million that passed through in 2009, when the then Spanish Prime Minister, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, inaugurated the new Terminal 1, completing the latest major expansion of the facilities. "It's a success story," summarizes Pere Suau-Sanchez, professor of air transport management at the UOC. "The airport has grown spectacularly; we're dying of success," remarks Xavier Fageda, professor at the University of Barcelona and infrastructure expert.

This week, another Socialist leader, Catalan President Salvador Illa, presented his proposal to continue expanding the airport. This solution promises to minimize the impact on protected natural areas.It adds 600 meters of asphalt and will require the reconfiguration of part of the Ricarda lagoon.– and make Barcelona "a powerful hub intercontinental". Until now, the growth of El Prat has been based mainly on the explosion of mass tourism and the arrival of low-cost airlines. Is it realistic to think this will change when the expansion works are scheduled to be completed in 2033?

In 2024, El Prat Airport was Europe's seventh-largest passenger hub, which is where its main base is located. However, as Suau-Sanchez points out, the Catalan airport's momentum "has been based on Vueling's leadership, which has made it the best-connected airport in Europe, guaranteeing enviable passenger flow and route capillarity."

The dependence on tourism is evident when looking at origin-destination traffic, which travels directly to the Catalan capital: it is the second-largest airport in Europe in this indicator, behind only Heathrow; however, connecting passengers represent only 10%, according to data from the Barcelona Chamber of Commerce's Air Traffic Observatory. Furthermore, according to figures provided by the airport operator Aena on October 9 of last year, the airport's infrastructure served 54 intercontinental destinations, of which 22 are in the Americas; 7 in Asia; 8 in the Middle East; and 17 in Africa.

Today, Vueling is the undisputed queen of El Prat, with 21.8 million passengers transported last year, followed by Ryanair (9.2 million). top five Of the major airlines operating in Barcelona, the short-haul segment is dominated by Iberia, which also includes Level's low-cost transatlantic routes. Although it is not straightforward, Suau-Sanchez argues that the hub The traditional system based on a single flag carrier "is no longer the only option." He therefore suggests that there are alternatives such as the so-called hubs Hybrids, "which achieve significant levels of connectivity," thanks to collaboration between different companies. In the case of Barcelona, ​​this would involve Vueling providing short- and medium-haul flights to the long-haul routes of airlines such as Level—both part of the IAG group—or others with which it already has codeshare agreements.

The aeronautical consultancy Bet Cahué rejects the concept of "hub "new generation" which has also been promoted by Aena, and stresses that an airline that promotes this connecting traffic is necessary. In addition, she is sceptical regarding claims that the increase in capacity that the expansion would allow - to reach 90 operations per hour - will only result in a boom intercontinental flights. "We will have to make the investment [of around 3.2 billion euros] profitable, and that can't be done solely with long-haul flights," says Cahué. On long-haul flights, airlines profit from flights by loading the aircraft with cargo and filling the seats in the lower class. business, with few passengers willing to pay much more for the journey: "And Barcelona is not a destination business", he says.

Fageda points out that, despite there being indirect demand for non-stop routes, this does not guarantee that airlines will be willing to operate them. "It is very difficult to compete with the Golf companies [on flights to Asia], with whom we are very well connected," he adds. hubs Europeans is already very mature and increasingly concentrated. Thus, he is blunt about the Government's aspirations with this expansion: "No matter how much more capacity we have, Barcelona will never be one of them." hub". In his opinion, El Prat airport "will continue to be what it was", and the main beneficiaries of the operation will be the business of low cost and tourism.

The Catalan airport has always been conditioned by its status as the second largest city in the country, overshadowed by the expansion of Barajas Airport in Madrid, where Iberia has, as its flag carrier, opted for intercontinental connections with the rest of the world. This model is different from that of other metropolises that also follow this rule and are not state capitals, such as Munich or Zurich. In the case of the German airport, "it functions as one." hub secondary to Lufthansa and absorbs the traffic that overflows Frankfurt," Suau-Sanchez points out; while the Swiss one is a "hub "second-level niche." It must be taken into account that their economies are very different from that of Catalonia, as they have more weight in industry or finance and much less dependence on the tourism sector.

"The most similar case to Barcelona is Manchester, which also combines a strong dominance of the low-cost segment with a considerable offer of long-haul flights," says the UOC professor. However, the big difference lies in the nature of the market: "Barcelona is primarily a powerful net receiver of tourists, while Manchester functions the other way around, as a major source of British tourism." For Cahué, El Prat airport can be compared to others such as Rome, also a major tourist destination, or Gatwick (London) and Orly (Paris), with similar passenger volumes and a high percentage of low cost.

The role of Girona and Reus

Although the President of the Generalitat (Catalan government), Salvador Illa, mentioned the airports of Girona and Reus during the presentation of the expansion proposal, the experts consulted agree that the expansion project condemns them to marginal status. In a model where the majority of demand originates or arrives in the main city, for traffic to naturally divert to the smaller airports, the largest would have to be saturated. "If Ryanair can offer more flights from El Prat and the difference in fares isn't so great, they'll focus on Barcelona," Fageda emphasizes.

Cahué predicts that, without a policy of fare discounts, Girona and Reus will be left with only passengers who want to travel directly to the Costa Brava or La Dorada. For Suau-Sanchez, the expansion also does not favor its integration into the Catalan airport system: "For greater use of Girona and Reus, the congestion at El Prat Airport would not be enough; a significant improvement in accessibility would be essential, especially for public transport." For now, the Catalan government's plan contemplates connecting these two infrastructures and the city of Barcelona—not El Prat Airport—with the high-speed train.

Tuesday's announcement is the culmination of the plan. from a campaign that Aena launched more than five years ago and which resurfaced –with the help of business lobbies– even after a failed attempt at an agreement with the previous Catalan government, then with the opposing positions of Esquerra Republicana and Junts.

In 2015, the last time the airport manager detailed the profits it extracts from each airport, El Prat contributed more than half of the earnings. For the listed company, expanding the infrastructure—and its passenger numbers—also means increasing the income it derives from the commercial exploitation of this space, through parking, shops, or restaurants. "The airport is a large shopping center, that's the logic," Fageda argues. Aside from the expansion, Aena is already developing the El Prat airport city, a real estate project with logistics centers, hotels, and offices, thanks to which it will also generate more business.