Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas Airport is set for a comprehensive expansion, as announced by Spanish Prime Minister Sánchez at the Fitur tourism fair in the Spanish capital.
Pedro Sánchez shared this news during the event ‘Social Sustainability: Designing for Tomorrow’s Future’, held at the Turespaña stand. With an investment of €2.4 billion, the airport’s capacity is expected to increase to 90 million passengers by 2031, marking a 28% rise from its current capacity.
‘Greatest growth potential in Europe’
“This will make it the airport with the greatest growth potential in Europe,” stated Sánchez. He emphasised that the investment would lead to a significant increase in capacity and routes. Additionally, the expansion is expected to create thousands of direct and indirect jobs, as well as stimulate economic growth. Sánchez highlighted that Madrid’s airport generates almost 10% of the region’s GDP, a figure that is anticipated to rise substantially upon completion of this project.
Strengthening as a hub to Latin America
Furthermore, the expansion will enhance its role as a hub to Latin America. Plans are also being developed for an Asian hub, with new routes and airlines operating on that continent. Sánchez stressed that this infrastructure is already a “hallmark of Spanish identity.”
‘Extraordinary’ employment figures
The Prime Minister also celebrated the “extraordinary” employment figures emerging from the recent publication of the Encuesta de Población Activa (EPA). “Spain is growing today and creating more and better jobs despite the gloomy predictions,” he added. According to the National Statistics Institute (INE), 783,000 jobs were created in 2023. The number of employed people reached nearly 21.2 million, and unemployment fell by 193,400 individuals. In total, 2.83 million people in Spain are currently unemployed, a decrease of 11.8%.
Tourism data
Sánchez also addressed the positive figures in the tourism sector. With 84 million visitors to Spain and revenues of €108 billion, all records were broken. “Visitor numbers and revenues have broken records. Moreover, spending has increased by 17%. And that has always been one of the challenges in this sector,” Sánchez said.
Also read: Growth in Spanish tourism in 2024 greatest in Malaga and Madrid.
