Spain to spend €13bn on mega airport upgrades – as Ryanair slams ‘rip-off’ fees

Louise Brown September 20, 2025 Travel Comments Off on Spain to spend €13bn on mega airport upgrades – as Ryanair slams ‘rip-off’ fees

SPAIN is gearing up for a massive airport makeover – with the government splashing out nearly €13 billion to boost capacity at its busiest hubs.

Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez announced the cash bonanza on a visit to Alicante Airport this week, promising bigger runways, new terminals and greener tech between 2027 and 2031.

The bulk of the spend – almost €10bn – will go straight into expanding airports, with another €1.5bn earmarked for sustainability projects.

Barcelona-El Prat will get nearly half the money, followed by Madrid-Barajas. Barcelona is set to get €3.2bn, including a new satellite terminal and a 600-metre runway extension to handle more long-haul flights. Madrid will pocket €2.4bn to boost capacity to a whopping 90 million passengers a year, with a huge €1.7bn makeover of its flagship T4 terminal.

Also, tourist hotspots have benefited. Malaga Airport will get €1.5bn, Alicante €1.1bn, Valencia €400m, and Tenerife’s two airports a combined €800m.

READ MORE Spain’s airport operator accuses Ryanair CEO of ‘lying continuously’ in row over ‘excessive fees’

But the timing has raised eyebrows – coming just days after budget airline Ryanair slashed over a million seats from its Spanish routes in a furious row with airport operator Aena over landing fees. Ryanair claimed that Spain was pricing out airlines. Aena, on the other hand, accused Ryanair of “blackmail”.

Environmentalists are also furious, claiming that the mega-projects could damage ecosystems at a time when the world is racing to reduce carbon emissions.

Despite the backlash, Sánchez insists the plan – dubbed “DORA III” – is vital to keep Spain’s airports from bursting at the seams. Barcelona alone handled more 55 million passengers last, almost reaching its 60m maximum.

Construction on the biggest projects isn’t expected to kick off until 2030 – but by then, millions more tourists will already be flooding into Spain’s skies.

Travel News by The Olive Press.