Catalan civil society insists on demanding a debate on the future of El Prat airport. This time it has been Barcelona Global that has put this urgency on the table, and has done so by presenting an alternative proposal to Aena's initial project to try to derail the transformation of the infrastructure.
After a seven-month study with aeronautical engineers, technicians, environmentalists, ornithologists and ecologists (among other specialists), the entity has analyzed different options to increase intercontinental flights, but with minimal impact on the environment and without increase the global limit of operations per hour marked in the current master plan of the airport (90 per hour). His bet is to extend the third runway (the one next to the sea and used for take-offs) by 350 metres. In this way, the Ricarda lagoon would be preserved, emphasized yesterday Maite Barrera, president of Barcelona Global.
A further 300 meters of unpaved safety (clearway) would be added to the paved runway to facilitate the take-off of large-bodied aircraft, which are used by airlines to fly between continents. These decisions would add up to a total surface of 3,310 meters.
Aena's original project proposed extending the track by 500 meters in total. However, in both cases there was an impact on the protected area of the Natura 2000 Network, so the 350-metre route would also need the approval of Brussels.
"Barcelona already has a very good air network with the rest of Europe, but the intercontinental network needs to be strengthened", pointed out Barrera. Connecting the capital of Catalonia with the main economic and socio-cultural centers of the world is a priority for the entity, to attract "high-impact companies and investments". El Prat offers practically 50 intercontinental destinations this summer season, which brings it close to its 2019 record, but there is still a lack of frequencies and long distance, especially with the Asia-Pacific region, North America and Latin America. "We don't want to increase the airport's capacity, but to bet on a different type of flights", they insisted.
The first action they propose is to apply the environmental compensations still pending in the airport area, the responsibility of Aena and the Generalitat. The EU has opened a file against the Spanish administrations because it believes that in the expansion of the airport (undertaking almost 20 years ago) the due compensation measures agreed in the environmental impact statement of 2002 were not adopted. The complaint it was brought to Europe by the oenagé Depana.
Once the compensations are completed, the Ricarda should "be regenerated", an ecosystem that is already "very stressed and requires action to maintain it", says the association. After that, the track would be extended, without reaching the lagoon.
Barcelona Global also proposes to reach agreements with the airlines so that part of the short flights with final destination in Catalonia are diverted to Reus and Girona airports. In this way, they consider, the capacity of long-distance flights could be increased by maintaining the use of the runways in a segregated manner (one for landing and another for take-off), as well as avoiding greater noise pollution on neighboring towns . Nor would it be necessary, they claim, to increase the capacity of passengers per year (now the limit is 55 million, an amount that was touched in 2019 and that this 2023 will be close again).
"There is an urgency for this debate to be addressed and we cannot delay it any longer, the current situation is not a solution", they added. His proposal does not include a satellite terminal, which could be built later depending on the needs.
The association will present its conclusions to the Government of the Generalitat in the coming days (it has already spoken to the mayor of Barcelona, Jaume Collboni) and plans to hold meetings with other administrations as well, including the central government, involved councils and Aena. In any case, they state that their alternative is a starting point to promote the debate and that a commission of experts will have to decide on the technical solution. Of course, they warn that not extending the runway "is not an option" if they want to increase long-distance flights.
