The debate over whether or not it is necessary to expand El Prat Airport has been rather simplistic and has been characterized by conflicting and bitter positions based on political party alignment. For some, it has been a symbol of an outdated developmental model, and for others, a condition sine qua non For being in the world and somewhat too focused on associating growth with well-being, something that doesn't have an exact correlation. In fact, the issue isn't really—or at least shouldn't be—"growth." per se and linked to increasing tourist flow, but rather the extension of a runway that makes it possible for intercontinental flights to land and take off, so we don't have to be secondary in global communication networks. If the economic focus is on reindustrialization and a knowledge-based economy, there is no doubt not only about its benefits but also about its imperative need to be attractive to the global economy. However, increasing flights to more Chinese or American cities and their frequency does not mean that those who come from now on will only be CEOs of large companies, university researchers, or engineers dedicated to AI. As seems obvious, everyone who wants to come will come and, therefore, many more tourists, with the negative implications this entails in a city already absolutely saturated with visitors. I am aware that actions are being taken by the Generalitat (Generalitat) and Barcelona City Council to address a complex issue that has ended up turning Barcelona into an uninhabitable theme park and economically unsustainable for its citizens. Along the way, culture and personality are also left behind, without addressing the issue of the environmental unsustainability of the phenomenon at this point in the film. As a means of economic development, tourism is pitiful: a large portion of spending goes to airlines, technology platforms, and multinational hotel companies based abroad. Its intensive use of low-skilled and poorly paid labor could also be discussed. The average salary in the hospitality industry, which accompanies the tourism sector, is €17,000, while in industry it is over €40,000. Precariousness, a great deal of precariousness, and too many negative externalities.

The expansion of the airport and its impact on the natural ecosystems of the Llobregat Delta is already beginning to resemble the Guadiana River—now I leave, now I disappear. A committee of experts has decided that the best option is, instead of destroying a piece of Ricarda, to do a two-for-one: now we'll steal a little piece from the Remolar River. And somewhere we'll build a new reservoir to compensate for this destruction.

There is already an airport regulation document (DORA) for 2022-2026, since the central government has not waited to transfer airports to Catalonia to decide the investments – and it does not include the expansion of El Prat airport. This, nevertheless, does not make a low-cost expansion impossible. That is, not spending a little over €300m to extend the short runway over La Ricarda lagoon (a minor part, by the way, of the famous €1.7bn).