Foment del Treball has once again called for the extension of the Barcelona airport on Monday so that the city, and by extension Catalonia, does not lag behind in the league of global metropolises. "It is our objective and our ambition to have Barcelona connected to the world, and the world to Barcelona and not only to Europe", emphasized the president of the Catalan employers' association, Josep Sánchez Llibre, in an act held this afternoon at the Iese in which the future of airports has been addressed. In the conference, which has been moderated by the Iese professor Pedro Nueno, Elena Mayoral, planning director of Aena; Olivier Jankovec, Director General of ACI Europe (Airport Council International) and John Quelch, from Miami Business School, Harvard professor and former president of the Boston Harbor and Airport.
For Sánchez Llibre it is imperative to recover the El Prat extension project. In this way, he added, the airport will be able to increase its operations and accommodate a greater number of long-haul flights. "We must reach 70 intercontinental flights and provide service to the five million passengers a year who must travel to other airports to reach their destination, as well as vice versa, to welcome many millions of potential visitors on a direct flight and thus attract talent and investment", insisted the president of Foment.
Barcelona has a powerful offer of short and medium-haul flights, linking the Catalan capital with all of Europe. Instead, you can still go further on long-haul trips. It currently has flights to 42 intercontinental destinations (47 in 2019) and 71 routes (there are destinations operated by more than one airline). Its offer is led by Africa and North America, in the latter case with important economic centers that have been added to direct flights, such as Chicago, Atlanta or Washington. Barajas airport far exceeds these figures, with intercontinental flights to 73 destinations and 130 routes.
The president of Aena, Maurici Lucena, recently warned of the risk of Barcelona losing competitiveness, while the capital of Spain gains connections and is already expanding its airport. The listed company has redoubled its commitment to Barajas and will increase its investment from the initial 1,700 million to 2,400 million euros to improve and grow the airport. On the other hand, the 1,700 million foreseen for El Prat have been paralyzed before the disagreement on the extension. Neither the Government of the Generalitat (ERC) nor the city councils of Barcelona and El Prat (Comuns) support Aena's plan due to its environmental impact.
The employers are trying to overcome this blockade through a commission of experts that analyzes all the options regarding the airport and seeks consensus among all the administrations involved. Sánchez Llibre has explained that this commission hopes to have its work ready in June 2023, after the municipal elections.
The objective will be "to obtain a yes from the citizens so that Aena programs and carries out the expansion of the Barcelona airport in the most sustainable way, with the necessary measures to minimize the acoustic impact, respecting as much as possible the biodiversity of the environment", Foment has indicated. .
