The president of Aena, Maurici Lucena, considers it “fundamental” that the Catalan Government “express its opinion” on the different alternatives that may be proposed for an eventual expansion of El Prat, because – he added – it is a project that requires the “consensus ” territorial and that it has “environmental derivatives”. This was expressed by Lucena during the presentation of the airport manager’s results, with a return to profits and a recovery in passengers above expectations.
The budget agreement between ERC and the PSC includes the commitment to activate a technical table with the central government to improve the air capacity of Barcelona airport. A pact that has once again promoted the debate on the future of infrastructure and its role in the Catalan economy, giving rise to proposals from civil society that have reached the hands of the Government. Among them, the option to expand El Prat with a fourth runway over the sea stands out, an initiative of the engineer Joaquim Coello with the support of the former minister Andreu Mas-Colell, among others.
For Lucena, the track on the sea is just “an idea, as its promoters have remarked”, which “could eventually crystallize into a proposal.” The president of Aena has not elaborated on the assessment of this option or the rest that have been put on the table. “We want to be very respectful,” he remarked. Aena will give his opinion when the time comes within the framework of the technical tables on the airport, he has abounded.
In addition to the new track over the sea, there are several alternatives proposed by civil society. One of them is to extend the third track to the east and west without affecting the Ricarda or Remolar lagoons, but it does affect the space of the Natura 2000 network. Another option proposes extending the track only 350 meters towards Ricarda with the same intention to safeguard the lagoon. Aena’s initial project, with an investment of 1,700 million euros, proposed extending the third runway by 500 meters to facilitate the takeoff of large planes that make intercontinental flights, which they want to increase in Barcelona. Any possible extension will be borne by Aena through the fees charged to airlines.
