Environmental Groups Reject Spain's €13 Billion Aena Airport Expansion Plan
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A massive investment plan of nearly €13 billion for the modernization and expansion of the Aena airport network, presented by the Spanish government, is facing outright rejection from a coalition of major environmental organizations. The announcement, made during European Mobility Week, is being labeled as "incompatible" with the country's climate commitments.
In a joint statement, Friends of the Earth, Ecologistas en Acción, Greenpeace, SEO/BirdLife, and WWF criticized the decision, arguing that it directly clashes with the goal of reducing transport emissions by 42% by 2030. According to the organizations, expanding airports directly stimulates an increase in flights and, consequently, in greenhouse gas emissions and local pollution, affecting the climate, public health, and biodiversity.
The plan, framed within the Airport Regulation Document (DORA) 2027-2031, includes interventions to expand the capacity of 13 airports in the network. Among them are Madrid-Barajas and Barcelona-El Prat, along with those in Tenerife North, Tenerife Sur, Lanzarote, Málaga, Melilla, Valencia, Alicante, Santander, Bilbao, Menorca, and Ibiza.
The organizations point out that between 2013 and 2019, emissions from the aviation sector in Spain increased by 45%, a rate much higher than in countries like France or Germany. In 2024, Spain's air transport was the second-highest emitter in the European Union, generating 22.6 million tons of CO₂, equivalent to almost half of Sweden's total emissions for that year.
The Reasons for Environmental Rejection
The environmental coalition bases its opposition on three main pillars. They argue that the project serves the interests of mass tourism and large corporations rather than the general public interest.
The primary argument is the plan's incompatibility with the European goal of reducing emissions by at least 55% by 2030. According to studies cited by the NGOs, the expansions of Madrid-Barajas and Barcelona-El Prat could lead to a 35% and 33% increase in their respective CO₂ emissions. They also warn of negative impacts on sensitive ecosystems, such as the potential destruction of the La Ricarda lagoon in the Llobregat Delta due to the expansion of Barcelona's airport.
The statement also focuses on the health effects of airport activity, citing a study that links aircraft pollution around major Spanish airports to thousands of cases of hypertension, diabetes, and dementia.
Demands to the Government
The signatory organizations are demanding the indefinite suspension of any airport infrastructure expansion plans. They also call for the elimination of short-haul flights that have an efficient rail alternative.
Finally, they urge a redefinition of transport policy to build a "fair, sustainable, and resilient" model that prioritizes the population's needs and respects planetary limits, redirecting investments toward more socially and environmentally just modes of transport.
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