Spanish airport authority AENA looks set to hike in operating fees which will mean a variable increase in airfares but to my astonishment, a giant map of the world carved out of wood at Palma airport has forgotten to include the Balearics and Canary Islands - bit of a snub considering Palma airport is one of the operator’s most lucrative and profitable airports.
Nevertheless, the Aena Board of Directors has approved the proposal for the Third Airport Regulation Document (DORA III) for the period 2027-2031, which envisages a total investment of €12.888 billion, of which €9.991 billion corresponds to regulated investment and is therefore included in DORA 2027-2031. The plan, which has already been submitted to Civil Aviation and the CNMC, seeks to safeguard the safety and capacity of Spanish airports to manage a forecast 1.69 billion passengers over the next five years.
Aena proposes an average annual increase in the tariff of €0.43 per passenger, ‘which keeps Aena’s tariffs at very competitive levels and will allow the company to remain highly efficient’. These 0.43 cents will be adjusted according to the size of the airport, i.e. they will be lower in the case of medium and small airports, because Aena’s airport charges vary according to size. On Tuesday, at an extraordinary meeting, Aena’s Board of Directors approved the proposed Airport Regulation Document (DORA) for the period 2027-2031.
For this five-year period, the company is proposing a major investment cycle, with the aim of ‘providing airports with the necessary capacity to meet future traffic demand, to ensure that the highest safety and maintenance requirements and the best quality standards for passengers and airlines and environmental sustainability are met, while maintaining competitive fees’.
The total investment for the five-year period proposed by Aena is €12.888 billion, of which €9.991 billion corresponds to regulated investment and is therefore included in the DORA 2027-2031.
Once the final proposal for DORA 2027-2031 has been approved by Aena’s Board of Directors, the document will be sent to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGAC) and the National Commission for Markets and Competition (CNMC).
The Airport Coordination Committees of the autonomous communities will also be convened.
The Council of Ministers must approve the final document by September of this year at the latest.
According to the traffic scenario proposed in DORA 2027-2031, in line with the forecasts of international organisations such as ACI and EUROCONTROL, and once Aena has applied the capacity constraints, passenger traffic is estimated to reach 1.69 billion in the period 2027-2031.
Aena assures that ‘the large investment made in the decade 2000-2010 has so far made it possible to cope with growth above the European average with quality and without operational incidents, which allowed us to emerge from the COVID crisis without obstacles and to recover after the economic crisis of 2008-2012’.
It explains that “in order to ensure that airports never pose an obstacle to mobility and progress in different economic cycles, significant actions will be carried out during the period 2027-2031 that will enable: ‘This proposal demonstrates Aena’s firm commitment to passengers and airlines in an environment of severely strained infrastructure,’ explains Aena’s chairman and CEO, Maurici Lucena.
Aena assures that the investments set out in the proposal are based on the conviction that ‘every airport counts’ and, therefore, it is essential that they are well equipped. For this reason, each infrastructure will receive investments related to regulations, maintenance, physical and operational security, ICT, sustainability, quality, etc.
Aena’s proposal seeks to improve the passenger experience and optimise airline operations in order to continue advancing in comfort, process agility and safety, while maintaining the efficiency of airport operations in all its dimensions. Aena has stated that it remains committed to sustainability and to strengthening the role of airports as hubs for efficient and sustainable multimodal connectivity. ‘Achieving the Net Zero target in 2030, 20 years ahead of the rest of the sector, will also involve significant investment,’ says the manager.
The decision has prompted a swift rejection of the plan for 2027 to 2031 by the carriers on Wednesday. Aena has already secured approval from Spain's competition watchdog to hike the maximum passenger fee by 6.5% to 0.68 euros this year. Although fees can affect ticket prices, Aena said its proposed rises, which are subject to approval, may be lower at smaller Spanish airports and would remain "competitive".
The proposed fee increase amounts to 0.43 euros more per year between 2027 and 2031, Aena said in a statement. National airlines association ALA rejected the proposal as unjustified, saying it was equivalent to a 3.8% rise per year. The lobby group called instead for a 4.9% annual reduction over the period, arguing that Aena was underestimating the projected increase in air traffic.
The airlines forecast this will rise by 3.6% a year over the period, rather than the 1.3% growth estimated by Aena. The operator expects Spanish airports to handle up to 1.6 billion passengers between 2027 and 2031, as traffic growth moderates from the post-pandemic rebound. Aena plans to triple its investment from 2027 and over the next five years. At least 10 billion euros of that will require government authorisation