SINGAPORE, 25 February 2026: The International Air Transport Association (IATA) and the Spanish Airline Association (ALA) have called for an annual reduction of 4.9% (excluding inflation) in Spanish airport charges over the next five years (2027\u20132031), a level compatible with maintaining an airport investment plan of nearly EUR10 billion over the same period, and enhancing Spain\u2019s economic competitiveness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
AENA, the operator of most airports in Spain, has proposed an annual increase of 3.8% (excluding inflation) for the five years covered by the Third Airport Regulation Document (DORA III). <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Airlines reject this proposal, citing AENA\u2019s consistent underestimation of traffic growth and the excessive regulated returns it has earned during previous regulatory periods.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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 EUR1.3 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\u2019s regulated return in 2024 reached 10.2%\u2014four percentage points above its expected return\u2014meaning that nearly EUR400 million was overpaid by airlines and passengers in that year alone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAENA has gamed the regulatory system for years, earning millions of euros more than it should have, at the expense of passengers, airlines, and the Spanish economy. This must stop. AENA has generated excessive returns through a creative approach to forecasting, and its request for further increases is absurd. If granted, it would deliver the highest regulated return of any comparable airport operator in Europe. This is unsustainable and unrealistic \u2014 we need to see a reduction in charges,\u201d said IATA\u2019s Regional Vice President for Europe, Rafael Schvartzman.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cImportantly, the proposed reductions in charges by IATA and ALA would not prevent AENA from delivering its planned EUR10 billion investment program during DORA III. According to separate studies commissioned from global consultancies Steer and CEPA, passenger traffic will grow by around 3.6% per year on average, compared with AENA\u2019s forecast of just 1.3% annually. Under these assumptions, AENA would still be able to fully fund its investment plan while earning a return on capital of 6.35% \u2014 a more generous return than it was intended to earn under DORA II.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
About ALA<\/em> (Source: IATA)<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" SINGAPORE, 25 February 2026: The International Air Transport Association (IATA) and the Spanish Airline Association (ALA) have called for an annual reduction of 4.9% (excluding inflation) in Spanish airport charges over the next five years (2027\u20132031), a level compatible with maintaining an airport investment plan of nearly EUR10 billion over the same period, and enhancing […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":45,"featured_media":260374,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2125,267],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-263353","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-airports-2","8":"category-europe"},"yoast_head":"\n
ALA, the Spanish Airline Association, is the leading association in the Spanish aviation sector. The 72 airlines that are members of ALA transported just over 273 million passengers out of a total of 321 million in 2025, representing 85% of all air travellers in Spain.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n