Barajas Airport almost doubles El Prat Airport in intercontinental flights.

Aena sees the El Prat expansion project as the way for Barcelona's airport to have all the infrastructure to compete with other destinations. And if there are two cities that look in each other's mirrors, they are Madrid and Barcelona. With the new investment, there will be an opportunity to narrow the gap with Barajas Airport, focused primarily on long-haul flights and cargo.

In recent years, Barajas has managed to consolidate its advantage over El Prat Airport, particularly in international flights, thanks to the expansion of Terminal 4, Iberia's large operational base, and the lack of resistance to investments currently underway. Also in its favor are El Prat Airport's limitations, related to the short length of one of its two main runways, in addition to another cross-runway that is much less used.

Barcelona is better connected to Europe than Madrid, but it fails when the planes are large.

Aena is trying to clarify two points. The first is that the manager isn't dedicated to establishing routes, allocating slots , or promoting Madrid over Barcelona. Its mission, they say, is to deploy infrastructure so airlines can establish themselves based on the market and their interests. With El Prat in better condition, they predict greater potential. The second is that El Prat is already "the best-connected airport within Europe." In the EU, it surpasses Barajas, but what it lacks is the runway closest to the sea, whose expansion will boost the use of twin-aisle aircraft, which operate long-haul flights and handle the most cargo.

Madrid's airport has operational slack and is also investing €2.4 billion—the figure is higher when adjusted for inflation—in an expansion expected to be completed in 2031 to reach a capacity of 90 million passengers. This is 36% more than the 66.2 million passengers handled last year.

Madrid's plan focuses on connections with Latin America and Asia, and includes the southern expansion of Terminal 4 and new hotels. However, its new airport city stands out in its commitment to freight transport and logistics bases. It will continue to have better facilities than Barcelona.

El Prat Airport will now have the opportunity to improve its capacity thanks to the €3.2 billion investment announced on Tuesday. Reaching 90 operations per hour, compared to the current 80 to 85, will free up the currently stifled activity.

Read also The Government and Aena agree on a global expansion of El Prat with an investment of 3.2 billion euros. Maite Gutiérrez

Last year, El Prat Airport slightly surpassed 55 million passengers, reaching its technical peak after growing by 10%. Future investments will allow it to increase this limit to 70 million, a 27% increase, and operate without limitations.

The traffic figures between the two airports don't show significant differences in terms of flights. While Madrid had 420,000 flights last year, El Prat had close to 350,000, according to Aena.

The difference lies in the type of aircraft. Barajas facilitates wide-body flights with plenty of fuel, opening up the competition for long-haul flights. This is a valuable activity, also for the strategic positioning of cities.

Madrid has 90 intercontinental routes on its flight schedule, compared to Barcelona's 54. These routes connect with the Americas, Africa, and Asia, channeling not only business and tourism relations with countries like China but also serving as a European springboard to Latin America.

Added to this is the difference in freight transport, especially bulky freight. While El Prat handled 181,688 tons last year, Barajas handled 766,800. Aena points to the same reason: the size of the aircraft.