Santi Vila: "300 more meters of runway at El Prat Airport must be able to fit in."

BarcelonaThe debate over the future of El Prat Airport has been ongoing for more than five years and has led to the creation of committees, commissions, and working groups to study possible alternatives. While waiting for Catalan President Salvador Illa to present his proposal in the coming weeks, Barcelona City Council has also announced its proposal. Former Minister Santi Vila (Granollers, 1973) chairs the council's Infrastructure Advisory Committee, which in its final opinion urges expanding the infrastructure "preferably" without affecting Ricarda.

It seems difficult to commit to a specific solution. Why?

— The fact that a consensus is building around the idea of expanding airport capacity is a first development. A few months ago, there was a different city government that legitimately favored a degrowth approach, and now things are moving in a different direction.

The report advocates expanding the short runway "preferably" without affecting Ricarda or Remolar. This "preferably" means that the priority is to extend it, and therefore, if necessary, will these spaces have to be modified?

— For me, the key to the ruling is that the City Council supports expanding the airport's capacity and demands urgent decisions. It's threefold: we comply with pending environmental compensation; we optimize current airport operations without waiting for the expansion; and then, the most controversial.

The expansion of the short runway.

— Exactly. And that's Aena's option, which is that the runway must be extended by 500 meters at all costs. Other proposals seek to make the runway autonomous by extending only a few meters to the north and south, if appropriate, with formulas related to the type of paving used to resolve the transition between the wetlands and the infrastructure itself.

But is it possible to grow without affecting Ricarda?

— From what we've heard from the experts who have appeared before the committee, we're arguing about how to fit 300 meters. And 300 meters must be able to fit.

Is there any calculation of how much capacity would be gained by extending the runway?

— We focused on improving capacity for long-haul flights, and there was also a second challenge here, which was how to optimize these aircraft based on the load they can carry. We didn't want to comment on this point because there's no complete consensus. Some committee members are convinced that the type of aircraft currently on the market would allow for a runway that doesn't extend by these 500 meters, while others believe it wouldn't.

How do we know that with the expansion the airlines that will come will be long-haul and not low cost?

— Right now, you have more than fifty long-haul destinations, and many of these companies have already talked about opening new destinations, but above all, about offering more than one connection throughout the week. Here's the new development. We want more capacity because the market is there, because the supply is there. The interested companies are telling you this, and the airport manager is telling you this right now.

How could new environmental offsets be implemented?

— It's clear that the limitations currently imposed by environmental legislation and the entire protection framework mean that any decision requires a series of prior studies. In other words, we don't need to delude ourselves. The day a solution is agreed upon—and we'll see what the Catalan government says now—a long process begins. This is if we proceed in unison; if we proceed from a position of discord, it has no effect.

Could these offsets be far from the Llobregat Delta?

— If a few meters protected by the Natura 2000 Network were to be minimally affected, a way could be found to compensate for this, preferably with actions within the affected area, but also outside it.

Wouldn't these compensations conflict with the development of the Parc Agrari?

— There's a huge challenge here in coordinating interests. There's agricultural activity and environmental constraints, but we have the airport where we have it.

They point out that with some minor improvements, the airport can already improve its capacity.

— The important thing is not to get caught in inaction. Action is needed in the short term. The current volume of long-haul flights demands a new, more comfortable terminal. The airport's routine operations require an orderly improvement in the relationship between Terminal 1 and Terminal 2, an upgrade of Terminal 2... There are things that must be done now.

And doing all this, is the extension necessary?

— All the projections made by the companies and Aena itself warn of the risk of saturation. And this warning must be heeded by civil society and the relevant authorities.

Expanding the airport also means more tourism.

— For me, one of the tools to combat the touristification of the city shouldn't be limiting mobility infrastructure. It has to be urban planning, fiscal... Barcelona is doing very well and has been a pioneer in this area for years.

Will Brussels give the green light to enlargement? It's not their priority now.

— We can see that Brussels changes its mindset every few minutes, depending on a thousand things. We must be clear about our model for the city and the country, and implement decisions with the broadest possible consensus.

Do you consider Ricarda and Remolar to have environmental value?

— My ideological apriorism makes me hope that these spaces can not only be preserved, but even enhanced.

Should the options that have the greatest impact on the residents of Castelldefels and Gavà be ruled out?

— The dozen proposals that have been made have always been hampered by the variables of noise pollution and environmental limitations. Therefore, everything depends on this. So far, airport capacity has not been optimized due to noise limitations, which was done for the sake of consensus.

But measures could be applied to mitigate noise.

— We must be prudent and not speculate. But when Gatwick, in London, now in March, went ahead and agreed on the expansion solution, one of the issues was the incorporation of improvements from the perspective of minimizing the acoustic impact of noise. There's room for improvement here. I mean, compensation will surely be put on the table and the mayors will say, "Hey, should we reopen this?" Then we'll see how far we can go. I don't want to take any chances.

Should the Generalitat have a much greater role in airport management?

— Not just the Generalitat. Also all stakeholders with legitimate interests, such as other city councils. Mechanisms for participation in the airport's governance must be found. Obviously, this doesn't mean joining the board of directors.

How do you see the current political landscape in Catalonia?

— In a normal country, I like a guaranteed alternation between the center-right and the center-left. Now, I'm concerned, in Catalonia and in general, about the rise of populism and the far right, not only because of its existence but because of how it contaminates the political agenda. It's clear that the existence of Vox contaminates the Spanish political agenda, and the existence of the Catalan Alliance contaminates the Catalan political agenda.

And as for the Catalan Alliance, are you in favor of sanitary cordons?

— No. But it's true that each party must be very careful with its own principles and its own narrative. And you can't make concessions.