Parliament votes for airport financial transparency

The Catalan Parliament has approved a motion demanding that Aena, Spain's state-owned airport operator, publish detailed, individual financial accounts for each of its airports, including profits and losses. The measure, which passed on Wednesday 7 October 2026, calls for the immediate and retroactive release of these figures, with a commitment to annual publication going forward. The first point of the motion, tabled by Junts and supported by the PSC, ERC, Comuns, CUP and Aliança Catalana, passed with 105 votes in favour and 25 against. Only the PPC and Vox opposed the measure. Currently, publicly available individual accounts for Aena’s airports date back only to 2007, 2008 and 2009. Salvador Vergés, a Junts MP, argued that transparency is essential, noting that historical data showed Barcelona-El Prat’s significant contribution to Aena’s overall profits. He dismissed claims that private shareholders in Aena prevent disclosure, pointing out that the Spanish state retains 51% ownership and therefore holds a responsibility for accountability on infrastructure of public interest.

Call for full transfer of Catalan airports

A second point in the motion urges the Catalan government to negotiate with the Spanish state for the full transfer of Catalonia’s airport system to the Generalitat. This measure passed with 63 votes in favour, 25 abstentions from the PSC, and 25 votes against from the PPC and Vox. It follows a similar resolution passed by the chamber in July 2026.

We want to govern our own country," said ERC MP Juli Fernàndez, distinguishing between airport management and governance. "Aena manages, but the Spanish government governs."

The debate highlighted long-standing tensions over fiscal equity and infrastructure investment. Sílvia Orriols, leader of Aliança Catalana, noted that while Catalonia accounts for around 19% of Aena’s passenger traffic, it receives only about 15% of planned investment.

A third motion point, passed with 69 votes in favour, calls for the revision of the DORA III Airport Master Plan (2027–2031) to include investment in Barcelona-El Prat’s satellite terminal and an airport economic activity zone. This aligns with a prior agreement between the Ministry of Transport and the Generalitat, which gave initial approval to Aena’s expansion project at Barcelona-El Prat in June 2025. A fourth point, approved by 100 votes in favour, demands accelerated investment in high-speed rail stations at Girona and Reus airports, as well as upgrades to the broader high-speed rail network. The aim is to strengthen intermodal connectivity across Catalonia’s airport system. Socialist MP José Ignacio Aparicio supported greater data transparency and called for Barcelona-El Prat to develop into an "intercontinental hub", while acknowledging that the DORA III plan is already underway and still requires environmental assessments, European authorisations, and tendering processes.

Primary sources: aena.es. Reported by elnacional.cat, europapress.es, viaempresa.cat, merca2.es, El Nacional.