It finally arrived. The expansion of El Prat airport, one of the major items on the agenda of the PSC in this legislature, will finally be a reality.
This has been announced by the President of the Generalitat, Salvador Illa, who has appeared to announce the agreement, a project that will involve an investment of more than 3,200 million euros by Aena.
A gigantic project
Illa has appeared after six months of work in a joint technical commission that had to rule on the scope of this work. The agreement envisages, on the one hand, an almost total renovation of the airport infrastructure.
On the other hand, the agreement includes one of the most controversial aspects, the extension of the runway closest to the sea, which will affect protected natural areas. This extension will allow a runway that will reach 3,160 meters, enough to handle the 90 flights per hour that Aena considers necessary.
In addition to the runway extension, the agreement includes the renovation of terminals T1 and T2, the construction of a new satellite terminal, access improvements and new parking lots.
The commission’s timetable places the project’s incorporation into Aena’s strategic document between 2027 and 2028, with work expected to be completed by 2033, “if all goes well”.
How will the airport expansion affect the Parc Natural del Delta del Llobregat?
One of the most delicate points of the agreement lies in the impact on the Natura 2000 Network, a natural area protected at European level that will be affected by the extension of the runway closest to the sea.
The proposed solution involves environmental compensation on other land in the area. Specifically, the technical plan foresees the renaturation of 250 hectares, which will be integrated into the Llobregat Park. In addition, a joint environmental fund will be created with Aena to cover the costs of this renaturation.
The 3,160 meters of new runway will reduce the impact on the initial proposal by 140 meters. The lengthening will be carried out by extending 300 meters on each side, with one part paved and the other as a safety zone. To minimize the invasion of the lagoons, the area of the Ricarda reservoir will be partially modified, losing one of its southern arms, but maintaining its volume through compensations.
The Govern defends that this solution meets “the highest environmental requirements”. Illa even predicted that the consensus proposal for El Prat “will be an international reference on how to integrate an infrastructure with maximum environmental respect”.