El Prat Airport will move the glass facade of Terminal 1 to gain space.

The Prat de LlobregatWith more than 55 million passengers annually, El Prat tests the maximum capacity of its facilities daily and continues to push it to the limit. with the record growth it records month after month and the forecast is expected to exceed last year's figures. The airport needs more space, and will start with Terminal T1, where it will gain square footage by expanding the current building to accommodate check-in and security clearance in more spacious conditions.

The terminal, designed by Ricardo Bofill, will widen forward and sideways. To achieve this, the main facade—where taxis and buses drop off passengers—will be moved forward 38 meters, in the direction of the parking garages. This will fill the empty space between Terminal 1 and the parking garages on the upper level of the terminal, the departures level. On the lower level, the arrivals level, the building will also grow, especially in the area where baggage is claimed and where passengers are expected to depart.

All this will also entail moving traffic routes, both for private cars and for taxis and buses, which will be moved closer to the parking garages. Along the way, the control tower that has stood between the terminal building and the parking blocks, unused for twenty years, coinciding with the opening of Terminal 1, will be lost. The control tower, currently used only as an advertising medium, will be demolished. With all this work, Terminal 1 will add 70,000 square meters, almost 16% more than the current surface area of approximately 520,000 square meters.

The characteristic curvature that Bofill gave to the building will be maintained, as well as its glass façade, with the late architect's family involved in the design of the new phase. What is not yet known is where the Joan Miró mural will end up. It is currently located in Terminal T2, and Aena wants to move it to Terminal T1, but has not yet defined the exact location where it will move it so that it will be more prominent, replacing the forgotten Terminal T2. This measure has met with opposition from entities such as the College of Architects of Catalonia (COAC).

These will be complex works, because Terminal T1 will continue to operate at any time and there are no plans to divert travelers to Terminal T2, not to mention that the airport expects to continue growing its passenger numbers in the coming years. The construction of the new façade will be scheduled in different phases to try to have a minimal impact. "It is a very complex project on a technical level, but also on an operational level, because the terminal will continue to operate," remarks Eva Valenzuela, director of El Prat. The basic project is just beginning to be drafted, and work is expected to begin in 2028, with a projected continuation until 2031 or 2032.

Opened in 2009, the terminal will expand an interior that has become cramped with the constant increase in passengers, awaiting a new element, the satellite terminal, which will allow for better distribution of travelers once they have passed through security. This entire expansion of Terminal 1 will entail an investment of 700 million euros. This investment is included in the budget provided by expand Barcelona airport, costing around €3.2 billion, with the extension of the third runway as the main component, despite social opposition due to the environmental impact it will cause in an already degraded environment.

New security filters

The surface area that T1 will gain will be a big change, but before that, there will be an even more welcome change for passengers. Barcelona Airport is replacing its security filters with more modern ones that mean liquids or electronic devices don't have to be removed before passing them through. These machines will perform a tomography scan of luggage – like a CT scan – instead of using X-rays to analyze the contents as is done now. These devices weigh more and require more space than the current ones, another reason why T1 needs more square meters.

Some of the filters at El Prat already have this new technology, such as those at the air bridge and the fast track of T1. At T2, the machines have also begun to be replaced. Currently, around 30% of security checkpoints at Barcelona Airport operate by CT. Work will now begin to adapt the main security checkpoint area of T1, the central one, between the Vueling counters. As it handles the most travelers, it will be done in phases to avoid traffic jams. "There are upcoming works that will cause inconvenience, but we must remember that they are for the benefit. We are investing to improve the quality of service," Valenzuela maintains.

With an investment of 39 million euros, it is estimated that all filters will be replaced in the first quarter of 2027. These changes are also being made at other airports managed by Aena, such as Madrid and Palma.