Record-breaking year for Barcelona airport's Asia and North America routes

The number of passengers between Barcelona-El Prat Airport and both Asia and North America set new records in 2024, according to data from airport management company Aena published on Monday.

There were some 2.34 million passengers between the eastern continent and the Catalan capital last year, 25.9% more than in 2023, exceeding the previous peak of 2019 (2.24 million).

Passenger traffic with North America reached 2.6 million in 2024, a figure that exceeds the previous year by 24.8%, and significantly higher than the 2.1 million recorded in 2019, the last pre-pandemic year.

Passenger flow with Italy continued to rise, with the country remaining the top international connection. Traffic with Portugal, Morocco, and China also grew, while the United Kingdom and France did not reach pre-pandemic levels in 2024.

UAE and Qatar boost Asia numbers

The rapid growth of passengers between the Catalan capital and the Arabian Peninsula has boosted traffic with Asia – more than half of the traffic with the continent is to and from the United Arab Emirates and Qatar, which are up 20% and 41% respectively compared to last year. 

Connections with China have finally returned to pre-pandemic normality, even exceeding the 2019 peak by 41%. Similar is true of South Korea connections, which had 14% more passenger flow with Barcelona than in 2019.

Doha and Dubai were the cities in Asia with the most traffic to and from Barcelona last year, with 590,053 and 484,332 passengers, respectively, followed by Abu Dhabi and Beijing.

Israel is traditionally one of the most popular Asian connections, but, coinciding with the Gaza war, passenger numbers have fallen by 27% compared to 2023, and 38% compared to 2019.

JFK tops North American connections

New connections to San Francisco with United Airlines, Dallas with American Airlines, and Miami with Level were some of the North American novelties during a year that has also surpassed all previous records.

Passengers between Barcelona and the United States approached the two million mark (1.95 million), almost 25% more than in 2023 and 10.7% more than in 2019.

Almost half a million people flew between Barcelona and Canada, a 34% increase compared to 2023 and 45% compared to 2019.

New York's JFK Airport saw almost half a million travelers to and from Barcelona, while Miami recorded 228,852 passengers.

Europe dominates

Connections with Europe, however, continue to dominate passenger traffic at Barcelona-El Prat, with 47.9 million out of a total of 55 million in 2024, an increase of 9% compared to 2023.

Passenger numbers to and from Italy grew by 24% to just below six million, while the 20% increase in traffic with Portugal was also significant, with passengers exceeding two million.

On the other hand, passenger flow with the United Kingdom decreased by nearly 5% to 4.8 million, and with France by 0.45% to 3.9 million.

A record 1.51 million travelers flew between Barcelona and Africa, with Morocco leading the way and accounting for over a million of those.

Passenger flow with South America was around 600,000, a drop of 2.94% compared to 2023 and 13.2% compared to 2019.

Overall, 74% of all flights are to international destinations, more than ever, carrying more than 40 million of the 55 million passengers at Barcelona airport in 2024.