Aena, the publicly listed operator of Spain’s 46 airports and two heliports, closed 2025 with the highest traffic in its 12-year history: 384.8 million passengers, up 4.2 % on 2024. The headline numbers, released on 22 January, include 321.6 million travellers in Spain (+3.9 %), 17.6 million at London-Luton (+4.9 %) and 45.7 million at the company’s 17 Brazilian airports (+5.3 %). Aircraft movements rose 2.4 % to 3.28 million, while cargo hit 1.53 million tonnes (+7.9 %).(noticiaslogisticaytransporte.com)
Madrid-Barajas remained the group’s star performer with 68.2 million passengers, followed by Barcelona-El Prat (57.5 million) and Palma de Mallorca (33.8 million). A record was set in 23 Spanish airports, underscoring how tourism and business travel have rebounded beyond pre-pandemic levels. The surge comes just as the EU’s biometric Entry/Exit System is being phased in at major gateways, forcing Aena to balance passenger-flow redesign with construction works.
Rapid growth is a double-edged sword for corporate mobility. On the upside, airlines are adding frequencies and destinations, improving connectivity for multinational staff and assignees. On the downside, capacity constraints are already evident: Tenerife Norte operated at 109 % of its technical limit last year, and Málaga surpassed 26 million passengers for the first time. Queue times at border control and security have begun to creep up during peak bank-holiday periods.
![Aena moves 384.8 million passengers in 2025, triggering capacity review across Spanish airport network]()
For organisations moving teams through these increasingly busy airports, VisaHQ can streamline visa and travel-document processing. Its online platform (https://www.visahq.com/spain/) provides step-by-step guidance, real-time status tracking and dedicated corporate dashboards, helping employees avoid paperwork delays and navigate Spain’s entry requirements with confidence.
Aena says it is “finalising investment plans” for 2026–2030. Early drafts seen by industry observers include terminal expansions in Valencia and Alicante, additional contact gates in Palma de Mallorca, and an accelerated refurbishment of Madrid-Barajas T1-T2. The company will present the package to the regulator (CNMC) in March; once approved, airlines will face the largest fee hike in a decade—6.5 % per passenger from March 2026—which is likely to feed through to ticket prices.
HR and travel managers should monitor project timelines. Construction phases can affect lounge access, parking and crew-base operations, potentially disrupting duty-of-care planning. Firms with high intra-Spain travel volumes may wish to negotiate longer-term corporate fares before the new airport charges kick in.
Madrid-Barajas remained the group’s star performer with 68.2 million passengers, followed by Barcelona-El Prat (57.5 million) and Palma de Mallorca (33.8 million). A record was set in 23 Spanish airports, underscoring how tourism and business travel have rebounded beyond pre-pandemic levels. The surge comes just as the EU’s biometric Entry/Exit System is being phased in at major gateways, forcing Aena to balance passenger-flow redesign with construction works.
Rapid growth is a double-edged sword for corporate mobility. On the upside, airlines are adding frequencies and destinations, improving connectivity for multinational staff and assignees. On the downside, capacity constraints are already evident: Tenerife Norte operated at 109 % of its technical limit last year, and Málaga surpassed 26 million passengers for the first time. Queue times at border control and security have begun to creep up during peak bank-holiday periods.
For organisations moving teams through these increasingly busy airports, VisaHQ can streamline visa and travel-document processing. Its online platform (https://www.visahq.com/spain/) provides step-by-step guidance, real-time status tracking and dedicated corporate dashboards, helping employees avoid paperwork delays and navigate Spain’s entry requirements with confidence.
Aena says it is “finalising investment plans” for 2026–2030. Early drafts seen by industry observers include terminal expansions in Valencia and Alicante, additional contact gates in Palma de Mallorca, and an accelerated refurbishment of Madrid-Barajas T1-T2. The company will present the package to the regulator (CNMC) in March; once approved, airlines will face the largest fee hike in a decade—6.5 % per passenger from March 2026—which is likely to feed through to ticket prices.
HR and travel managers should monitor project timelines. Construction phases can affect lounge access, parking and crew-base operations, potentially disrupting duty-of-care planning. Firms with high intra-Spain travel volumes may wish to negotiate longer-term corporate fares before the new airport charges kick in.
