Aena's Spanish airport passenger numbers hit record 309m in 2024

Aena'sSpanish airports chalked up 300m passengers last year, marking a second consecutive annual record and reaching the landmark ahead of target, the airport operator said on Monday. The number of passengers travelling through its Spanish airports rose 9,2% from 2023 to 309.3m, Aena said, passing 300m a year earlier than the company expected. Aena reaped the benefits of a flourishing tourism sector that contributed heavily to robust Spanish economic growth in 2024, contrasting with other big euro zone economies such as France and Germany. The busiest airport was Madrid's Adolfo Suarez Barajas, followed by Josep Tarradellas Barcelona-El Prat and Palma de Mallorca. Aena is already working on investments for the 2027-2031 period to ensure infrastructure is able to meet future demand, the company added. Last year was also a record year in terms of cargo as Spanish airports moved about 1.3m metric tons, up 18.6% from 2023. Last month global airlines body IATA forecast a record 5.2b passengers would fly in 2025. Aena did not provide an updated outlook for the current year.<br/>