3.2 billion and 500 more meters of runway: Illa announces an agreement with Aena to expand the airport.

BarcelonaThe PSC government is unblocking the expansion of El Prat Airport. The president of the Generalitat (Catalan government), Salvador Illa, had his eye on this project long before taking office, and this Tuesday he announced an agreement between the government, the Ministry of Transport, and Aena (Spanish National Agency for the Environment) to implement it, with an investment of 3.2 billion euros. The project touches the sea for 500 meters, minimizing the impact on natural spaces. Catalonia, Spain, and Europe. "We can't waste any more time," he added in an appearance after receiving the report on the expansion of the joint committee between the State, the Generalitat and Aena.

The last time the State put the expansion on the table, investment was decentralized due to the lack of agreement. One of the points of contention was the impact that Aena's plans had on the Ricarda lagoon - it occupied two-thirds. With the new project, Isla argued, the impact is "minimal," both on the Ricarda and on the Remolar natural space. compensation, a "green ring" around the airport and an environmental fund to strengthen areas of ecological value.

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With Tuesday's announcement, Salvador Illa is erasing a promise he made during the election campaign and reiterated during his investiture. The government's thesis is that if Catalonia wants to regain the country's economic leadership, as the Socialists have proposed, it is necessary to have a "21st-century" airport that is at least as competitive as those in rival capitals. "I want our researchers, creators, students, entrepreneurs, children, and grandchildren to be able to travel directly to the entire world without going through Madrid, London, or Frankfurt," the president argued. Increasing the space available for intercontinental flights is the first step, according to the government, toward opening new routes to Asia.continent with which Catalonia wants to intensify relations-, North America or South America.

The efforts of Salvador Illa's Socialist Workers' Party (PSC) to unblock this investment date back to 2023, when it proposed the airport expansion to Pere Aragonès' government during the budget negotiations (where they also agreed to unblock the B-40 and the Hard Rock, the latter pending). From this, the joint committee that worked on the proposal emerged. The next step is to approve the master plan, scheduled for 2028, and the question now is whether the Republicans or Commons will use their opposition to the project in the upcoming negotiations with the PSC. Above all, in the 2026 budget negotiations. It should be noted that when ERC was in the government with Junts, everything was halted despite the fact that the third runway extension was 300 meters (not 500).

Tension with the commons

For the time being, the Comuns are avoiding marking the issue as a red line and maintain that the battle against enlargement will be a "long-term" one and will be fought, above all, in Europe. The spokesperson in the Parliament, David Cid, considered the enlargement to be "very bad news" for the country and that it was merely "make-up" for the 2021 proposal. Jéssica Albiach's group and the PSC (Spanish Socialist Workers' Party) already noted their disagreements over infrastructure in the negotiation of the investiture agreement, which did not include an investiture.

In any case, a rupture in the Spanish government or the Catalan parliamentary majority is not expected over this issue, although the Comuns have pledged to express their rejection. The Minister of Culture, Ernest Urtasun, stated that they do not "share" the enlargement and that they will defend it "within the framework of the Spanish government" to avoid an increase in polluting emissions and greater pressure from tourism. Furthermore, Urtasun has requested an urgent meeting with the Minister of Transport, Óscar Puente, arguing that the proposed project jeopardizes its plans for the Casa Gomis, a landmark work of Catalan rationalism in the Ricarda district. The purchase of these lands by the Ministry of Culture The aim was to preserve the building and create a cultural center. From El Prat, Mayor Alba Bou (Comuns) also reiterated the municipality's "unequivocal" rejection of the PSC government's "expansionist" project.

Governance and ERC

ERC also rejects the expansion, but focuses on infrastructure governance. "Defending Catalonia today means making Aena take its claws out of our airport," asserted ERC Secretary General Elisenda Alamany, who accused Isla of wanting El Prat to be a "subsidiary" of Barajas. The investiture proposal stated that the joint commission would study how to "transform" the airport to provide new intercontinental connections while preserving natural areas. The agreement also included reforming the Catalan airport system to give the Generalitat (Catalan regional government) a say in decision-making. Warning: "Every time there is a temptation to back down in defending the interests of the Catalans, Mr. Salvador Illa's term will become more complicated."

From a technical point of view, the proposal to expand El Prat should not go through Parliament: an agreement between the Government, the State and A. is enough for the proposal to be presented in the chamber - it could do so in the next plenary session. "Essential"

Beyond Sumar's opposition, Isla's announcement has been welcomed by the Spanish government. "The expansion of El Prat is essential for the progress of Barcelona, ​​Catalonia, and Spain," Spanish government spokesperson Pilar Alegría stated at a press conference. The spokesperson did not respond to questions about whether the decision to expand El Prat could open a new window for the Spanish government between the two partners, the PSOE (Spanish Socialist Workers' Party) and Sumar, but government sources ruled this out. Also from the Socialist Party (PSOE) ranks, Barcelona Mayor Jaume Collboni welcomed the project's announcement, which he disassociated from a tourism boom in the city, and called for metropolitan municipalities to be part of the panel where the project's implementation will be decided.