Spain’s Madrid airport set for US$2.6 billion expansion

Spain’s Adolfo Suárez-Madrid Barajas Airport is in line for a €2.4 billion expansion. Photo: Adobe Stock

Operations at the expanded airport – Spain’s busiest – are also expected to bolster the country’s connection to Asia.

Spain’s Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, announced an investment initiative for the airport, potentially totalling €2.4 billion (US$2.6 billion), saying, “This will be the airport with the greatest growth potential in Europe.”

The sum would represent the largest infusion of funds into Spanish airport infrastructure in the past decade.

Sánchez said the expansion initiative is expected to generate thousands of direct and indirect job opportunities while further bolstering Madrid’s gross domestic product (GDP).

The airport’s operator, AENA, says no new terminals are planned; instead the project will focus on refurbishing and expanding the existing facilities.

Scheduled to commence in 2031, the project aims to expand capacity to 90 million passengers.