The president of Aena, Maurici Lucena, predicts a year of full recovery of passengers at Barcelona airport, with activity that will probably exceed the record of 2019 (52.69 million passengers). “I think that in 2024 we will see a fully recovered Barcelona airport, the year has started like a shot,” Lucena highlighted at this morning’s press conference to present the results of the listed company.
The data for January and the preliminary figures for this month of February indicate this, he added. El Prat closed the first month of the year with 3.5 million passengers, 7.1% more than the same month in 2019 and 13.9% more than in the same period a year earlier. In this way, it chains a quarter with record traffic.
The coincidence of several fairs in February, such as the current Mobile one, suggests a new historical record for Barcelona airport, Lucena said. Two of the key airlines for El Prat, Vueling and Ryanair, will also deploy their largest summer schedule at the airport. The IAG company will increase flights in Barcelona by 7%, while the Irish low cost company will increase its capacity by 14%. The Lufthansa group will also grow in the plaza, following its plan to increase capacity in Spain for this summer.
In parallel, both Aena and the Catalan authorities, integrated into the Air Route Development Committee, are working to expand the number of intercontinental routes and frequencies. All this, while the central and Catalan governments negotiate options to increase the number of long-haul flights and the possible expansion of the airport.
Aena has closed the 2023 financial year with a profit of 1,630.8 million euros, 80.9% more than in 2022 and 13.1% above 2019. Revenues amount to 5,141.8 million euros.
