THOUSANDS are expected to take to the streets of Barcelona and Palma this weekend to protest against airport expansion plans they say will worsen overcrowding, housing pressure and the environmental impact of mass tourism.
The demonstrations will take place this Sunday as part of an international week of action spearheaded by the Stay Grounded network, a global movement consisting of more than 200 organisations campaigning for a reduction in air travel.
In Barcelona, more than 210 social, neighbourhood and environmental organisations have backed the protest, alongside 130 academics.
The march will begin at the junction of Passeig de Gracia and Arago before heading to Placa de Sant Jaume, outside the headquarters of the Catalan government and Barcelona city council.
Organised under the slogan ‘No expansion, not now, not ever’, nearly a dozen separate columns will travel into the city centre on foot, by bicycle, metro and train from neighbourhoods in and around Barcelona.
The protest comes after the Spanish government approved airport operator Aena’s investment programme for 2027-2031, including €1.76 billion for Barcelona El-Prat.
The money is earmarked for projects including the reconfiguration of terminals T1 and T2, with transport minister Oscar Puente insisting the investment will not be put towards increasing runway length or flight capacity.
Joan Manuel del Llano, of the Zeroport platform, accused the Catalan and Spanish governments and Aena of ‘climate denialism’ and acting irresponsibly.
Campaigners also argue that further growth will damage the Llobregat Delta and reinforce an economy overly dependent on tourism.
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The Barcelona protest is being mirrored in the Balearic Islands, where campaigners in Palma are also preparing a major demonstration against Aena’s plans to expand the local airport.
More than a dozen organisations – including environmental group GOB, the Federacio d’Associacions de Veïns de Palma, Greenpeace and Menys Turisme Mes Vida – are backing the protest.
The demonstration will begin at 6pm outside the Spanish government’s delegation in Palma, with protesters angry at plans to increase capacity at Son Sant Joan Airport.
Aena’s investment programme forecasts that Palma could handle around 35.7 million passengers every year by 2031 – an increase of roughly two million on 2025 levels.
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Local protesters are calling for a halt to measures that increase airport capacity, as well as a reduction in passenger numbers and an end to the promotion of new international routes.
They are also demanding a law allowing the Balearic authorities to have greater control over the islands’ airports and their capacity.
Several prominent regional political figures have slammed Aena’s investment programme, with Mallorca tourism minister Jaume Bauza arguing it goes ‘totally against’ the Balearic government’s policy of containing tourism levels.
Island president Marga Prohens has also criticised the forecast, saying the prospect of the Balearic airports welcoming nearly 50 million passengers a year by 2031 is a ‘frightening’ prospect.
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