The president and CEO of Spanish airport authority Aena, Maurici Lucena, has assured that the company will propose airport fee increases below 6% until 2031, following the authorisation by the National Commission for Markets and Competition (CNMC) for a 6.44% increase from March 2026. In statements to the newspaper Expansión reported by Europa Press, Lucena defended the moderation of future tariff updates for the period 2027-2031, insisting that they will remain below the 6% threshold, in a context of strong growth in air traffic.
The head of the Spanish airport management company says that fees will have to increase ‘moderately’ in order to undertake the planned record investment plan of €12.888 billion to modernise the airport network between 2027 and 2031. Although Lucena has not specified the exact increase, the annual rise over the five-year period could be between 3% and 5% (excluding adjustments), compared to the freeze or reduction of the last decade.
Lucena insists that despite the increase, the fees will remain ‘among the lowest in Europe’ and that the company has ‘plenty of room’ to grow in terms of debt. In the new context of investment and more debt, Lucena sees it as compatible to maintain the current payout (at 80%), finance all Dora III investments with a combination of capital and debt, and undertake some international operations, if deemed appropriate.
Regarding its conflict with Ryanair, he asserts that a consensus is spreading in Europe that ‘excessive’ dependence on the Irish airline, given its behaviour, ‘would not always be a good thing’. Lucena believes that recovering the routes abandoned by the low-cost airline will be slow and defends the model of management and solidarity between airports.
The year 2025 closed with results close to historic highs for the company, with forecasts of around 320 million passengers in the Spanish network and nearly 100 million international tourists, exceeding pre-pandemic figures. By 2026, expectations point to a new high, driven by seat scheduling by airlines and the consolidated recovery of the sector. In the first nine months, a total of 247.1 million passengers passed through the terminals of the Spanish network, representing an increase of 3.9%.