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The Spanish Government approved this Tuesday a new five-year airport regulatory framework that will allow the airport management company Aena increase the fees charged to airlines by 0.33% on average annually between 2027 and 2031, as stated by the Minister of Transportation, Oscar Puente.
The increase, equivalent to about 0.03 euros per passenger per year, would allow Spanish airports to continue to be among the most competitive in Europe, he said.
Aena had proposed an increase of 3.8%, which would mean 0.43 euros more per passenger per year during that period, while airline associations had requested an annual reduction of 4.9% during the same period.
Passenger traffic has recovered from the pandemic more quickly in Spain than in many other European countries and its airports are handling more passengers than before Covid-19. In the first seven months of 2026, Spanish airports handled 190.9 million passengers, while in August alone a historical maximum of 34.9 million travelers was recorded.
The Government foresees an average annual growth in the number of passengers of 1.8% over the next five years and expects the Spanish airport network to handle more than 358 million passengers by 2031.
Aena had requested a larger increase in airport taxes, citing a lower expected annual passenger growth rate of 1.3% and the need for investment in the main airports, which are approaching their capacity limits.
According to the plan, total investment in airports will reach 13 billion euros between 2027 and 2031, of which 9.99 billion will come from regulated airport revenues.
The rest will be financed through commercial income from Aenaincluding commercial and real estate activities.
Spanish airports contribute around 5.9% of GDP and support approximately 600,000 jobs, according to the minister.
