Level's growth will have to wait. The long-haul airline had planned a year of expansion to consolidate its position at Barcelona airport, once it began to operate as an independent airline within the IAG group at the end of 2025, but it has ended up implementing drastic cuts to its offer from June, a measure that, for the moment, distances itself from the risk of fuel shortage that concerns many companies in the sector due to the conflict in the Middle East and the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.

Hundreds of suitcases piled up haphazardly have been accumulating on the ground in recent days at El Prat airport, parked without any control near the carousels where travelers hope to find their belongings. This has been the result of the indefinite strike by Groundforce personnel, a company responsible for checking in luggage for airlines such as Air Europa, Air France, Lufthansa, or United Airlines.

Vehicles are one of the main goods moved by the Port of Barcelona, closely linked to the local automotive industry with leading companies such as Seat. It is the leading port in Spain for this traffic and fifth in all of Europe. A position that was becoming insufficient. "We decided we wanted to take a step further," explained its president, José Alberto Carbonell, this Thursday at the laying of the first stone of the future car terminal of the Japanese logistics giant Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha (NYK), which will be located at the Muelle Príncipe de España.

With layoffs on the horizon, Glovo workers have had enough. Comisiones Obreras (CCOO), the union with the most representation in the Catalan company, has announced the call for a strike for three days, from Friday, April 24 to Sunday, April 26, to demand "dignified conditions" for the delivery drivers.

Anyone who has done a renovation knows the headaches it causes. Calls with more than one operator – the electrician can't now, the plumber will come tomorrow, the painter doesn't answer – and little control over when the works will actually finish. Aware of this, Francisco Morán, a businessman with many years of experience in the real estate sector, decided to launch Aquí Tu Reforma in 2019.

The blockade of the Strait of Hormuz due to the war in the Middle East worries the aviation sector. The possibility of running out of fuel is on the table for major European airlines in the face of a conflict that shows no signs of improvement. The Irish Ryanair, the first airline in Spain, and the German Lufthansa are beginning to consider cutting flights in the coming months. Not to mention, how sensitive they are to the rise in oil prices, one of their main costs, which accounts for 30% of their accounts and will end up affecting ticket prices.

The Middle East conflict has blown up the layovers that many travelers make on their way to Asian destinations such as Vietnam, South Korea, China, Thailand, or India. Airlines like Emirates Airlines, Qatar Airways, or Etihad Airways had become an essential pillar in the connection between Europe and Asia, with a very strong offering and convenient connections in their hubs in Dubai, Doha, or Abu Dhabi. The transit potentially affected by this new crisis amounts to 1.1 million annual passengers passing through Barcelona airport, according to a report prepared by the consultancy GPA to which ARA has had access.

Since its birth in 2004, Vueling has become the main airline of Barcelona airport, also now that it continues to break passenger records. With its expansion on the horizon, the airline company aims to reach 60 million travelers by 2035, half of whom will be gained at El Prat. An expansion plan that will entail an investment of 5,000 million euros, which will be mainly allocated to changing the fleet, replacing the European manufacturer Airbus with the American Boeing. In this interview, its president, Carolina Martinoli (Buenos Aires, 1969), who landed here in 2024 after working for other companies in the IAG group, such as Iberia and British Airways, breaks down Vueling's future.

Ysios Capital has launched a 100 million euro fund to boost the creation of biotechnology companies. The venture capital firm, specialized in life sciences, will focus on Spanish companies, with the aim of supporting them in their earliest stages.

The biotechnology company Peptomyc continues to make progress in developing its cancer drug. Its co-founder, Laura Soucek, has spent decades studying an oncogen involved in the processes that allow a tumor to develop and progress. This oncogen is Myc, a common factor in many cancers that was long considered untouchable, but Soucek created a counterpart to it, Omomyc, with the aim of inhibiting it and causing cancer cells to die.

Aptadel Therapeutics has raised two million euros to continue developing its treatment for Ewing sarcoma, a childhood cancer with a very rapid progression and a low survival rate. The biotechnology company will continue working to bring its drug to patients. The drug is capable of halting metastasis and precisely targeting the interior of tumor cells. Aptadel is awaiting the completion of studies required by regulatory agencies such as the FDA and the EMA, which will allow it to begin its first clinical trials. With the funds raised, the company, headquartered in the Barcelona Science Park (PCB), has secured the support of the Japanese consultancy Newsight Tech Angels and has also strengthened the presence of the Little Warrior Foundation. The American investor, specializing in this pediatric disease, had already invested 480,000 euros in the company. Aptadel Therapeutics is thus preparing to close a Series A funding round, with which it aims to raise nine million euros. "This funding is crucial in the context of childhood cancer, an area with a significant medical impact but limited access to private funding," explained CEO Gisela Lorente. During 2025, the biotech She also received €450,000 from the Spanish Association Against Cancer (AECC).

The High Court of Justice of Madrid (TSJM) has denied Airbnb's request for precautionary measures to halt the €64 million fine imposed by the Ministry of Consumer Affairs for violations in the publication of tourist accommodation listings that did not comply with regulations. Minister Pablo Bustinduy stated that this decision demonstrates that "no company is above the law or consumers." Following the TSJM's ruling, the platform will have to pay the fine. imposed By the end of 2025, Consum had identified violations in more than 65,100 tourist apartment listings, which were removed in the middle of last year. Specifically, the ministry detected "unfair commercial practices" such as publishing listings without a license or with numbers that did not correspond to the numbering used by the registries. It also noted that the platform disseminated listings without accurate information about the legal status of the hosts.

Few people visit the Zona Franca unless they're working there. A few exceptions are those who come to look at a car at the Seat dealership next to its factory or to shop at Makro. The Barcelona Free Zone Consortium (CZFB), responsible for managing this entire industrial park, wants to change that. First, because it's starting to attract a different kind of company, not just those that need assembly lines, but also those that want to develop new technological solutions from a desk. This is where DFactory comes in, the building that the CZFB has developed to test the industry of the future. Opened at the end of 2021, it quickly ran out of space and is already undergoing expansion. In addition to gaining square meters to house more companies, the DFactory expansion will, precisely, attract more businesses. "An industrial park is everything outside the city, causing problems with smoke, pollution, noise... Today's industry is completely different. That's why the Zona Franca is becoming a more urban district, more integrated into city life," argues Pere Navarro, the State's Special Delegate to the CZFB (Barcelona Free Trade Zone Consortium). One of the new buildings to be constructed has been designed to host community events, such as concerts, sporting activities, conferences, and presentations. "We are talking with the Barcelona City Council and various organizations to make them aware that there is a space here that can be utilized," explains Navarro. The building will have a large LED screen. A similar device has been installed at one of the entrances to the Gran Via fairgrounds and is open to the public for watching football matches. One of the advantages the CZFB highlights for attracting events is the location of the DFactory. "It has a lot of potential. The advantage is that there are no neighbors here. And, in addition, we have the subway right next door, which comes every two minutes at most. This is very interesting because it allows people to come without necessarily needing their private vehicle," Navarro points out. He also notes that the building, with 1,100 square meters, has a similar surface area to... hall of the National Theatre of Catalonia (TNC), not forgetting the avenue in front. As an example of the activities it can host, Navarro cites some of those organized for the Mercè festival.

In an increasingly complex geopolitical context, the Port of Barcelona registered a decline in trade with China and the United States during February. Tariff threats and the conflict in the Red Sea explain this impact in early 2026 on both markets, which, moreover, performed very well last year. All of this is without yet fully accounting for the impact that the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz has been having on international trade since the beginning of this month.

EasyJet's story in Barcelona began a few months after the low-cost airline was founded at London Luton Airport 30 years ago. El Prat Airport eventually became one of its most important airports, and it currently operates four aircraft and employs more than 200 people there. Furthermore, it has just launched a new service in the city. a digital center which will serve the entire British company. This marks the anniversary of having transported more than 55 million passengers, primarily tourists from its native United Kingdom, but also from Switzerland, Italy, and Portugal. Javier Gándara has been EasyJet's Managing Director for Southern Europe since 2020, and also chairs the Airline Association (ALA), the main employers' association for the sector in Spain.

While it doesn't move forward the expansion project At El Prat Airport, Aena is carrying out minor infrastructure improvements to optimize its use. On the runway closest to the sea, the airport operator is defining the necessary works to make more efficient use of the runway, such as repaving and new aircraft approaches. This package of works will represent an investment of over €110 million and is expected to begin in the winter of 2027 or 2028, depending on how quickly all the approval procedures are completed. The repaving of the short runway is a mandatory maintenance project that must be carried out every 20 to 25 years, as noted by Jaume Bauza, head of operations at Barcelona Airport. The current structure was built about 20 years ago and needs to be renovated, regardless of whether the runway extension is eventually carried out—one of the issues that has generated the most public opposition due to its impact on the Ricarda lagoon. All the pavement will have to be removed and replaced, a complex undertaking not seen at the airport for years. The same work was done on the long runway in 2016. This time, it will mean closing the short runway for about two months and will have a clear impact on the airport's operations, which will have to operate using only the long and cross runways. Furthermore, increasing the slope of the runway closest to the sea will remain pending, a measure contingent on the runway extension and agreed upon by Aena and the Port of Barcelona to ensure compatibility between the container terminals and their cranes and the airport's aircraft operations.

Iberia has proposed a voluntary workforce reduction plan (ERE) that will affect up to 996 employees, including ground staff, pilots, and cabin crew. The airline, part of the IAG group, established a negotiating committee with employee representatives this Thursday, after informing them almost a month ago of its intention to initiate the process. Iberia's management justified the ERE as part of the company's necessary restructuring for the coming years. In this regard, during IAG's results presentation at the end of February, Iberia's Chairman and CEO, Marco Sansavini, indicated that the goal of the plan was not so much to reduce the workforce as to update its profiles. Of the approximately 1,000 employees who will be eligible for the ERE, the vast majority are ground staff, including maintenance and office personnel. The remaining 240 or so will be pilots and cabin crew. With a workforce of over 10,500 employees, the restructuring plan will affect almost 10% of Iberia's staff.

International freight transport faces another setback. Emergency repairs underway in the Rubí tunnel, an infrastructure project on the route to France, will force a closure for almost two months starting this Friday. This marks a new chapter in the difficult recovery underway on this section of the line since the outbreak of the rail crisis following the commuter train accident in Gelida, where a driver was killed. The Rubí tunnel was closed for almost two weeks between the end of January and the beginning of February, when emergency work began on the most critical points of this more than 900-meter-long infrastructure project, inaugurated in the 1980s to divert freight traffic away from Barcelona. Specifically, work is being carried out on a 120-meter section where a large crack needs to be repaired.

Glovo informed unions on Wednesday that it is opening a workforce reduction plan (ERE) that will affect 750 workers across Spain, as previously reported. The CountryThe delivery company will reduce its service in more than 60 locations across the state, which it has not yet specified, "to avoid closure," as explained by a company spokesperson.

Tito Álvarez, the public face of the taxi drivers' struggle in recent years, is returning to Barcelona to ensure the passage of the new law regulating the sector. This is supposedly the final chapter in his ongoing battle with platforms like Uber and Cabify, following his decision to move to Venezuela, where he has purchased a house on Margarita Island. Two days before the law reaches the Catalan Parliament, the spokesperson for Élite Taxi has proposed allowing ride-hailing vehicle owners to exchange their licenses for a temporary taxi license. According to Álvarez, this measure will ensure that "no one is excluded" and that there are enough taxis to meet demand, especially during peak times like weekend nights when taxis are hardest to find. "It's the solution. It provides legal certainty for women, and no one will lose their job. It will also professionalize the sector by eliminating unfair competition and the dynamic pricing used by the platforms," ​​Álvarez argues regarding this new proposal, which addresses some of the criticisms raised by the platforms. The association, the most representative in the Barcelona metropolitan area, proposes including an amendment to the law so that VTC license holders can apply for a municipal taxi license, valid for seven years with an optional extension. These licenses would not cost the same as current taxi licenses, which are around €160,000. Alternatively, VTC owners could become "high-availability vehicles," a new category being considered for services booked at least two hours in advance and lasting at least one hour, which would operate like traditional VTCs.