Geneva\/Madrid; February 2026: 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\u20132031), a level compatible with maintaining an airport investment plan of nearly \u20ac10 billion over the same period, and enhancing Spain\u2019s economic competitiveness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Aeropuertos Espa\u00f1oles y Navegaci\u00f3n A\u00e9rea (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\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 \u20ac1.3 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%, which is 04%age points above its expected return, clearly meaning that nearly \u20ac400 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, we need to see a reduction in charges\u201d, said Rafael Schvartzman, IATA\u2019s Regional Vice President for Europe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Importantly, the reduction in charges proposed by IATA and ALA would not prevent AENA from delivering its planned \u20ac10 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%\u2014a more generous return than it was intended to earn under DORA II.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOur proposal for a 4.9% cut in charges will improve Spain\u2019s competitiveness as an international destination, stimulating investment and job creation across the wider economy. At the same time, AENA can still afford its \u20ac10 billion investment plan and deliver reasonable returns to its shareholders. This is a win-win for passengers, Spain, and the aviation industry. We look forward to regulators reviewing the evidence and reaching the right conclusions\u201d, Schvartzman added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
AENA – Aena was founded in 2010 (later becoming Aena, S.A. in 2014) to optimise the management of Spain’s airport infrastructure. AENA manages 46 airports and 02 heliports in Spain, along with significant international stakes in Brazil, Mexico, and the UK.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In 2024, it reported over \u20ac3.51 billion in EBITDA, solidifying its position as a global leader in airport management, offering flight information, parking, and, through the Aena Club, benefits like discounts on parking and VIP lounge access.<\/p>\n\n\n\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 travelers in Spain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Team Maverick.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Geneva\/Madrid; February 2026: 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\u20132031), a level compatible with maintaining an airport investment plan of nearly \u20ac10 billion over the same period, and enhancing Spain\u2019s economic …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":104457,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[74],"tags":[81],"post_format":[],"flags":[],"class_list":["post-104456","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-world-news","tag-world"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mavericknews30.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/104456","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mavericknews30.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mavericknews30.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mavericknews30.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mavericknews30.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=104456"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/mavericknews30.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/104456\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":104458,"href":"https:\/\/mavericknews30.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/104456\/revisions\/104458"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mavericknews30.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/104457"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mavericknews30.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=104456"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mavericknews30.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=104456"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mavericknews30.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=104456"},{"taxonomy":"post_format","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mavericknews30.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fpost_format&post=104456"},{"taxonomy":"flags","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mavericknews30.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fflags&post=104456"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}