Extended runway and a wing shaped terminal: Barcelona El Prat approved for €3.2bn expansion
Plans to upgrade and expand Barcelona airport have been approved by the Spanish authorities, paving the way for a €3.2 billion project which will include extending one of the runways and building a new terminal.
Work at Barcelona’s Josep Tarradellas El Prat Airport will now move forward following formal approval from both Spain’s Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility and the Generalitat de Catalunya – the regional authority.
Barcelona’s new terminal will have an innovative ‘wing’ design
Designed by local architect Ricardo Bofill Taller de Arquitectura, who also created Barcelona’s T1 and T2, the new satellite terminal has a curved, wing like shape.
Passengers enter via the central atrium, surrounded by glass with wide apron views.
From the atrium, the two concourses stretch off on either side, leading to the gates. People movers and plenty more glass will make the transit to the aircraft a pleasant experience.
Runway extension is welcome news for airlines
The project includes a 500-metre extension of Runway 24L/06R, taking it to 3,160 metres. While the present runway is adequate for aircraft as large as the Boeing 777, the extension will make it capable of handling any aircraft with no restrictions.
A new satellite terminal is also planned to support the increase in capacity, alongside renovations of both existing terminals 1 and 2.
Aena, the Spanish airport authority managing the project, commented:
“The new solution involves extending Runway 24L-06R (sea runway), thus allowing the airport to achieve the necessary capacity to accommodate aircraft on intercontinental routes without restrictions, while minimising noise impact on neighbouring areas.
Aena said the design has been refined to reduce the ecological footprint compared to previous proposals.
The revised layout represents an 87-metre reduction in the affected area compared with earlier plans.
“The final plan ensures the least environmental impact with measures such as the conservation of the La Ricarda lagoon, no impact on El Remolar outside the airport’s perimeter, and reduced acoustic impact on neighbouring areas,” Aena said.
“The agreement also includes compensatory actions aimed at improving the natural spaces of the Llobregat Delta, which will be detailed during the finalisation of the Master Plan, but which will be aimed at gaining more than 270 hectares of natural spaces.”
Barcelona Airport is Spain’s Mediterranean hub
Barcelona-El Prat handled 55 million passengers in 2024, a 10.3% increase compared to 2023.
The airport is the second busiest in Spain, behind Madrid Barajas, and serves as a major hub for both intra-European and international flights, with services to Asia, Africa and the US.
Data tracker OAG ranks Barcelona as the seventh busiest airport in Europe by seat capacity.
