The budget agreement between the ERC and the PSC in Catalonia has put on the table the different alternatives for the expansion of the Barcelona airport that have reached the hands of parties and civil society and that try to influence future negotiations on El Prat.
These proposals, prepared by aeronautical consultants at the request of members of political groups and businessmen, try to find solutions to extend El Prat and gain air capacity without touching the La Ricarda lagoon. In other words, extending the third runway by less than 500 meters or dividing the extension to the east and west, also reaching the El Remolar area, as La Vanguardia reported this week.
In this way, they are trying to convince the opponents of the enlargement, that is, a large part of ERC and the commons as a whole, under the command of the Generalitat or the Barcelona and El Prat de Llobregat city councils, and therefore, key in the future of the airport However, the option of a light extension, below 500 meters, was already ruled out in its day by both Eurocontrol, the air navigation manager in Europe, and by Aena in its initial project.
The two entities considered that the third runway must extend a minimum of 500 meters so that all large or wide body aircraft, those that fly to intercontinental destinations, such as the West Coast of the United States or the Far East, can take off without problems. for her. Also, to comply with European safety and certification regulations regardless of what each airline decides.
Aena sources consulted underline that, under a technical analysis, extending the third runway by only 350 meters, as has been suggested between parties and business forums, would not solve the congestion problems of El Prat nor would it allow the air capacity planned for long flights to be gained. radio. The size, engine and maximum weight of these planes, even the latest models, require a runway of a certain length and adding 500 meters to the sea runway would be the bare minimum, these sources continue. The third runway is currently 2,660 meters long, which, if extended by half a kilometer, would reach 3,160 meters. Below that, the flight and capacity limitations would continue, and the Natura 2000 area where La Ricarda is located would continue to be affected, although without reaching the lagoon.
A 2019 Eurocontrol analysis of the Barcelona airport, sent to the Upper House at the request of an ERC senator, also highlights the extension of the third runway by some 500 meters as a possible solution for airport congestion and boosting traffic. intercontinental flights. The Eurocontrol study was commissioned by the General Directorate of Civil Aviation after the summer of chaos and delays that El Prat experienced in 2018.
The second option handled by civil society and politicians, distributing the 500-meter extension to La Ricarda and El Remolar to safeguard the lagoons, would be technically viable, but it would have a greater environmental and acoustic impact according to studies carried out by the airport manager at the time. . El Remolar is even more valuable as an ecosystem than La Ricarda, they pointed out at the time. This road would bring the noise closer to the towns bordering the airport, they insisted. Now, all options are once again open, including not acting and leaving the airport as it is.
The tables to which the Generalitat and the central government have been summoned will determine the future of El Prat and Barcelona's air connectivity and will show whether the agreement signed between Republicans and Socialists really resumes the negotiation on this infrastructure or is it just a symbolic gesture to carry out the budgets of the Generalitat.
