Geneva/Madrid – The International Air Transport Association (IATA) and the Spanish Airline Association (ALA) called for an annual reduction of 4.9% (excluding inflation) in Spanish airport charges over the next five years (2027–2031), a level compatible with maintaining an airport investment plan of nearly €10 billion over the same period, and enhancing Spain’s economic competitiveness.
AENA, the operator of most airports in Spain, has proposed an annual increase of 3.8% (excluding inflation) for the five-year period covered by the Third Airport Regulation Document (DORA III). Airlines reject this proposal, citing AENA’s consistent underestimation of traffic growth and the excessive regulated returns it has earned during previous regulatory periods.
Between 2017 and 2025, excluding the two pandemic years, actual passenger traffic was on average 15.3% higher than the forecasts set out in DORA I and DORA II. This gap between forecasts and actual figures resulted in AENA earning €1.3 billion in excess regulated returns, costs that were ultimately borne by airlines and consumers. In the most recent year for which published data is available, AENA’s regulated return in 2024 reached 10.2%—four percentage points above its expected return—meaning that nearly €400 million was overpaid by airlines and passengers in that year alone. (....)