Thousands of people are demonstrating in Barcelona this Sunday against the possible expansion of El Prat airport, in a march organised by Zeroport, a platform opposing the project and backed by 210 social, neighbourhood and environmental organisations.

Photo: Pub.Cat Group

Photo: Pub.Cat Group

The march began at the junction of Passeig de Gràcia and Carrer Aragó and is expected to finish at Plaça de Sant Jaume. Residents travelling through the city centre should be aware of the demonstration route, while people wishing to join the protest can head towards its planned endpoint in Plaça de Sant Jaume.

Tractors, bicycles and ten routes into the city

Farmers from Baix Llobregat travelled to Barcelona by tractor, while other participants arrived by bicycle. Around 10 organised columns travelled on foot, by bike, Metro and train from Barcelona neighbourhoods and metropolitan-area towns.

“The governments of the Generalitat, the Catalan government, and the Spanish state, along with Aena, engage in climate denial and act irresponsibly when they blindly defend the expansion of the airport,” said Joan Manel del Llano of Zeroport.

Demonstrators are marching under the slogan: “No to the expansion, not now and not ever.”

Airport plan sets out investment to 2031

The protest follows the Spanish government’s approval this week of DORA III, Aena’s airport investment plan for 2027–2031. The plan allocates more than €1.7 billion to El Prat, mainly for improvements to the T1 and T2 terminals and their car parks.

  • More than €1.7 billion is planned for El Prat airport through 2031.
  • Almost €192 million is earmarked for expansion-related preparatory work.
  • The plan includes no construction work on an extension of the third runway.

According to the plan, work on a possible third-runway extension would not begin before 2032 if the project ultimately goes ahead.

“It would reinforce the economic model based on tourism over a saturated metropolitan area, and would further harm access to housing for people across the country,” del Llano said.

Zeroport member Clàudia Custodio said the organisers aimed to recreate the broad public mobilisation seen in September 2021, when thousands gathered on Carrer de Tarragona after an earlier airport expansion proposal had been halted.

Spain’s Transport Minister, Óscar Puente, has said any expansion would be considered in the next airport investment plan, DORA IV, if the European Union approves it on environmental grounds.

Reported by en.ara.cat, Diari ARA.