PASSENGERS travelling through Malaga Airport will no longer need to remove liquids or laptops from their bags once its new €1.5 billion expansion plan is complete.
The project, approved under the government’s DORA III programme, will introduce state-of-the-art security scanners designed to speed up checks and make the passenger experience more comfortable.
Passport control areas will also be expanded, both in space and capacity, to handle more travellers efficiently.
The investment is part of a wider modernisation plan by airport operator Aena, which will spend €12.8 billion between 2027 and 2031 across Spain’s network of 46 airports and two heliports.
Malaga will receive a large share of this money, with upgrades aimed at boosting its capacity beyond 36 million passengers per year.
Currently the airport handles around 30 million travellers annually, making it one of Spain’s busiest hubs.
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Airport director Pedro Bendala confirmed that construction work is expected to begin in late 2028, with the expansion divided into several phases to keep the airport running during the upgrades.
The first phase will focus on increasing space in the terminal buildings and improving systems such as check-in, baggage claim, boarding gates and aircraft parking.
Later stages will include a new boarding pier for non-Schengen flights and the demolition and replacement of older boarding areas.
By 2034, the airport’s surface area is set to grow from 80,000 to around 140,000 square metres, almost doubling in size.
The project will also invest in sustainability measures, such as reducing carbon emissions and water consumption, and improving accessibility for all passengers.
Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez described the expansion as “the biggest investment in airports in decades” when presenting the plan this week in Alicante.
The reforms are expected to transform Malaga Airport into one of the most modern in Europe, combining greater capacity with smoother travel for millions of passengers each year.
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I fear the time frame set for this expansion will lead to many years ahead of worsening conditions for passengers. Its not ambitious enough to cater for the natural increase in passenger volumes.