The Government opens the El Prat governance file so that Catalonia has a voice.

BarcelonaFor now, the Generalitat of Catalonia has no say in the matter. in the management of Barcelona airportThe three-way agreement between the Government, the Ministry of Transport, and Aena has not changed this situation: the €3.2 billion investment to remodel the infrastructure and extend the sea runway by 500 meters will be led by Aena, a company owned by the State, but with the first agreement proposed by the Generalitat: governance. This is a file that the Government has already opened, according to sources familiar with the matter reported to ARA, although the Department of Territory assures that there is still "no news." Promoting a new governance model for El Prat was one of the commitments that the PSC made with ERC in the investiture agreement. They emphasized their opposition to the airport's expansion. From the outset, they demand that Aena remove its "claws" from the infrastructure.

Prat, which closed 2024 with a record 55,034,955 passengers, 10.3% more than the previous year. The Generalitat (Catalan Government) was responsible for the expansion, working closely with the Ministry of Transport to secure a tripartitely validated proposal. Aena is headed by Mauricio Lucena, a former PSC member of Parliament.

The City Council also wants to be there

In the investiture agreement, the Socialists pledged to promote a new airport model in which "the Catalan government will be a key player in strategic decision-making regarding Barcelona Airport." The creation of two entities is planned to support this goal: the Airport Governing Council of Catalonia and the Airport Authority of Catalonia. For Esquerra, it is crucial that the Catalan government be present in decision-making to ensure that the airport expansion transforms El Prat into a hub intercontinental and the model is parked "low cost" who consider that it now prevails, focused on mass tourism. "President Illa has said that today Barcelona and Catalonia do not have a first-class airport, but he has forgotten to explain why: and it is because Aena has not wanted to," criticized the general secretary of ERC, Elisenda Alamany. Metropolitan councils in the governance of the airport, as did the council's committee of experts. "In this sense," said the regional minister for Territori, Silvia Paneque, in an interview on TV3. However, sources from Territori close the door to a "comprehensive transfer," as Junts has requested. In the case of Cercanías, The transfer has been carried out through the creation of a joint venture In these, the State will retain a majority stake for at least two years, although the Generalitat will also be a shareholder. Paneque advocated addressing changes in governance based on "institutional loyalty" and with "dialogue and consensus." Sources consulted by ARA indicate that a legislative amendment is being negotiated in Madrid to achieve this.

That Catalonia has a say in the management of El Prat Airport It is a historical demand of the Catalan business communityAena does not make public the data on how much it earns from each airport. It was required to do so in 2015, when it went public after its privatization. According to those records, Barcelona had contributed more than half of the profit that Aena had earned from the 46 airports and two heliports it managed..