SPAIN expects to sign off this month on Aena’s new investment plan for its airports, with the transport minister claiming the charges attached are the most competitive in Europe.
Speaking during a visit to Madrid-Barajas airport, Transport Minister Óscar Puente said the Cabinet would approve the DORA III plan “in the coming weeks”.
He argued that Spain’s low airport fees are part of what draws more travellers to the country than to its rivals.
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The plan sets out both airport investment and pricing policy for 2027 to 2031. In its initial form it proposes raising airport charges by 3.82% a year.
“These are tremendously competitive pricing policies, the most competitive in Europe,” Puente said, linking them to Spain’s pulling power as a destination.
Not everyone is convinced. Budget airline Ryanair previously slammed the proposed fees and threatened to deepen its cuts at Spanish airports if the plan went ahead.
The pricing has also drawn scrutiny from Spain’s competition regulator, the CNMC. In a non-binding report in June, the watchdog concluded that airport charges should actually fall by 0.59% a year over the 2027-2031 period — a far cry from Aena’s proposed 3.82% annual rise.
While signing off on the DORA III framework overall, the CNMC recommended revising traffic forecasts upward (from Aena’s 1.3% to 2.2%), cutting operating expenses by €741.5 million, and lowering the cost of capital from 9% to 7.4%.
Puente said the plan would set the parameters for airports to receive the investment needed to meet capacity, quality and safety requirements.
He also flagged Aena’s standing as the world’s largest airport operator by number of airports managed and by passenger volume, describing it as the company every country wants running its airports.
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