City Council backs push for Barcelona Airport expansion

Barcelona City Council has approved a proposal put forward by the People’s Party (PP)  urging the local government to take the lead in pushing forward the expansion of Barcelona’s Airport.

The motion received backing from the ruling Socialist Party (PSC), along with Junts and Vox, while the left-wing parties Comuns and Esquerra (ERC) voted against it.

First Deputy Mayor Laia Bonet emphasized that the council's priority is to find "political consensus" on how to increase the airport’s capacity while maintaining environmental standards.

Bonet also pointed out the need to address outstanding compensation issues from previous expansions, including the construction of the third runway and Terminal 1.

Infrastructure report to be shared

The approved motion also calls on the local government to present, within a month, a report commissioned by the mayor from the Infrastructure Advisory Council on the feasibility of expanding the airport.

"What does the report say? Why are they hiding it?" asked PP’s Daniel Sirera during the plenary session.

In response, Bonet stated that the infrastructure committee’s plenary session would be convened soon, as it is the first body that must review the findings. She assured that once this step is taken, the report will be shared with the opposition.

Political divide over expansion

Sirera accused the local government of being "submissive" to Comuns and ERC rather than pushing ahead with the airport expansion, warning that Barcelona risks losing investment opportunities.

Bonet defended the council’s position, stating that their approach is "clear" and aims to ensure the airport has an "adequate" capacity while boosting long-haul flights to improve connections with Asia and the Pacific.

She pointed to Boston as a good example: ''If we want Barcelona to be an international reference in areas such as knowledge and research, we need infrastructures capable of achieving that goal,'' she argued.

She also highlighted the need for a more efficient management of Barcelona, Girona, and Reus airports, while stressing the importance of improving railway connections.

Junts and Vox backed the proposal in favor of expanding the airport’s capacity, while ERC and Comuns opposed it, citing environmental concerns. Comuns also linked the issue to tourism, arguing that limits should be placed on both cruise ships and air traffic.

''We need to put limits on cruise ships, so it would be inconsistent not to do the same with the airport,'' said Comuns councilor Guille López. He also criticized the Socialists for supporting both the Climate Plan and the airport expansion, stating that "it doesn’t make sense.”