Pedro Sánchez, the Prime Minister of Spain, has announced Aena’s largest airport investment in Spain within the last 20 years, totalling almost 13 billion EUR (£11.3 billion approx.). Aena, majority owned by the Spanish Government, is responsible for the management of 46 airports in Spain and London Luton Airport in the UK, as well as 13 airports in South America.
Spanish Government Supports Major Investment
The ambitious investment in Spanish aviation has earmarked 12.89bn EUR (£11.26bn approx), of which 9.99bn EUR (£8.73bn approx.) will be used in regulated investments, while the rest will be allocated to non-regulated (commercial) activity. The plan will run from 2027 to 2031, during which time the money will be used to strengthen airports’ infrastructure in line with expected growth in demand. Among the priorities for investment are upgrades to airport terminals, security processes, digitisation and enviornmental sustainability measures.
During his speech at Alicante-Elche Miguel Hernández Airport, Pedro Sánchez, Prime Minister of Spain, said the following on the investment:
“This hybrid public-private model has made Aena the largest airport company in the world in terms of passenger traffic and market capitalisation. It has made it possible to bring together excellence in airport management, highly competitive airport charges, and excellent financial results. But more importantly, this model benefits from important synergies and economies of scale and scope which, combined with stringent economic regulation, have made our airport network a lever for increasing the competitiveness of the economy, stimulating investment and trade, further developing the tourism sector and playing a key role in the territorial structuring of our country.”
Aena’s airports are expected to transition to Net Zero in the year 2030, during this period of investment.
Aena to Renew Spain’s Airports
The President and CEO of Aena, Maurici Lucena, also spoke at the Alicante airport, reminding those present that:
“Aena’s aeronautical activity is a regulated activity and the proposed investments must follow the guidelines set out in Act 18/2014 and detailed in the DORA document, which is the basic instrument for ensuring the accessibility, sufficiency and suitability of airport infrastructures, and the adequate provision of airport services.
I would like to stress that the proposed investments do not respond to criteria of political opportunity or balance between Autonomous Communities. The investments are based solely on technical estimates of air traffic demand.”
Aena is the largest airport management company in the world by number of passengers and market capitalisation. Following analysis by its technicians, Aena claims that Aena’s 46 airports and 2 heliports in Spain will receive the investments they need to meet all requirements of capacity, safety, quality and environmental sustainability.
The Minister for Transport and Sustainable Mobility, Óscar Puente, praised Aena’s previous investments and its success in establishing an efficient aviation network in Spain. He also stated that the day of the announcement marked one of the first steps in the regulated process of drafting and approving the third Airport Regulation Document (DORA 3). Once the proposal is forwarded to the Directorate General for Civil Aviation and the National Markets and Competition Commission (CNMC), it will then be forwarded to the different regions in Spain, which will analyse it within their respective Airport Coordination Committees.
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