A major European airport is set for a £2.7 billion expansion, which will include a new satellite terminal. However, the move has angered environmental groups and overtourism protesters.
Catalonia approved on Tuesday plans to expand Barcelona-El Prat airport, located around 13km southwest of the city centre. The airport currently has two terminals, one and two, with the former capable of holding 33 million passengers every year. Under the new plans, the capacity for Terminal 1, which currently covers around 550,000sq/m, will increase to 70 million annually.
As well as remodelling the existing terminal, the plans also include extending one of the airport’s main runways by 500 metres and building a satellite terminal. The project will be paid for by Spanish airport operator Aena, who hope the expansion will increase the airport’s capacity and result in more direct international flights.
It comes as protests continue across Spain, including in Barcelona, over the growing concerns around overtourism. A number of protests are planned ahead of the busy summer season, including the use of water guns on tourists.
However, Salvador Illa, the president of Catalonia, said the airport expansion is critical for it to become a major hub for flights. The expansion will help Barcelona-El Prat airport offer more flights from Asia and America.
As reported by Reuters, Illa said: “I honestly believe that the project is technically the best and most balanced … and I am satisfied with the ambition of the measures and the environmental trade-offs associated.”
The extended runway will affect 27 hectares of a wetland protected by the EU’s Natura 2000 programme. To offset environmental concerns, around 250 hectares of land around the airport would be turned into green areas.
Construction work on the expansion is set to be completed by 2033. It is subject to approval from the European Commission by 2028.
A record 94 million tourists visited Spain last year. Aina Vidal, a lawmaker from the national Government’s junior coalition partner Sumar, said: “More airplanes mean more pollution for a city that is already at its limit.”