Josep Tarradellas Barcelona-El Prat Airport has recorded its strongest passenger figures ever for the first months of the year, continuing the strong recovery and expansion of Spain’s aviation sector.

The airport handled 43,675,764 passengers during the first nine months of the year, representing a 4.1% increase compared with the same period in 2024 and establishing a new historical record for the airport.

More Than Five Million Passengers In April Alone

During April, Barcelona-El Prat handled 5,098,131 commercial passengers, an increase of 4.2% compared with April 2025.

International traffic remained the dominant segment, with 3,861,750 passengers travelling on international routes, up 3.7% year-on-year.

Domestic traffic also recorded strong growth, reaching 1,236,381 passengers, an increase of 5.5% compared with the same month last year.

International Travel Continues Driving Growth

Between January and April 2026, the airport handled 17,368,530 commercial passengers, representing growth of 4.1% compared with the same period in 2025.

Of those travellers, 13,004,489 were international passengers, marking a 5.1% increase year-on-year.

Domestic passenger numbers reached 4,364,041 during the same period, up 1.4%.

Aircraft Movements And Cargo Volumes Increase

Barcelona Airport handled 32,057 aircraft operations in April, representing a 3.9% increase compared with April 2025.

For the first four months of the year, total aircraft movements reached 110,320 flights, up 1.9% year-on-year.

Cargo traffic also continued to grow strongly, with 17,151 tonnes of goods transported in April, an increase of 9% compared with last year.

Between January and April, cargo volumes reached 66,637 tonnes, representing growth of 11.4%.

Other Catalonia Airports Also Record Growth

Girona-Costa Brava Airport handled 173,931 passengers in April while aircraft operations increased to 2,726 movements.

Reus Airport recorded 129,828 passengers during the month, an increase of 11.2%, while total passenger traffic since the start of the year rose by 18.7%.

Sabadell Airport also reported significant operational growth, with 6,582 aircraft movements in April, up 25.8% compared with the same month in 2025.

Aena Group Continues Expanding Across Spain

Across the wider Aena Group network, airports handled 33.5 million passengers during April 2026, representing growth of 3.6% year-on-year.

Aena said passenger growth during the first months of the year was partly supported by travellers switching from rail to air transport following the train accident in Spain on 18 January.