Barcelona mayor rallies against airport expansion

Barcelona mayor Ada Colau has rallied against plans to expand the city’s airport after the project was agreed by the Catalan and Spanish governments last week.

In a letter published this Monday in the newspaper El País Colau points out that the expansion would mean an increase in emissions of between 60-80% in Barcelona, and slammed the "lie" that El Prat would become the "greenest airport in Europe." 

"Don't treat us like fools," Colau demanded, adding that she believes the only certainties of the expansion are "the destruction of the La Ricarda protected area, the increase in flights (more emissions) and the arrival of 20 million more passengers, essentially tourists."

Barcelona airport has seen a huge growth in the past couple of decades, with passenger numbers increasing from around 17.5 million in 1999 to almost 53 million in 2019, making it the 6th busiest airport in Europe.

The plan ignited a heated debate in Catalonia: the business community is very much in favour of the expansion, but there is fervent opposition to the plan from environmentalists warning against the destruction of the Llobregat delta and increased carbon emissions.

"Proponents of expansion say it will be very good for the economy,” Colau says “My question is, for whom? Maybe for the companies and funds that make up Aena's private half that are looking for short-term profit." 

“The only thing that is certain is that it will increase tourism and therefore temporary and precarious work, in addition to our vulnerability, depending even further on the wealth that comes from outside,” she adds.

According to Colau, the project represents "the economy of the past, a predatory and unsustainable model that generates inequality." The leader of the Catalan capital’s local government prefers to see investment put into high-speed train links and suburban areas.

We recently examined the debate over the expansion of the airport on our weekly podcast Filling the Sink. Have a listen here: