Aena Airports reached a remarkable milestone in 2024, welcoming 369,444,029 passengers across its global network.
The airports of the Aena Group (consisting of 46 airports and two heliports in Spain, London Luton Airport and 17 airports in Brazil) have closed 2024 with 369,444,029 passengers, 8.5% more than in 2023; they have handled 3,203,747 aircraft movements, 7.1% more than in 2023; and transported 1,421,640 tonnes of freight, 18.1% more than last year.
In December 2024, 26,925,911 passengers passed through Aena Group airports (7.2% more than in 2023); 239,377 aircraft movements were recorded (+5.7%); and 124,571 tonnes of freight were transported, 11.5% more than in 2023.
Aena Airports in Spain
The airports of the Aena network in Spain have closed 2024 with 309,332,069 passengers, 9.2% more than in 2023; they have handled 2,590,861 aircraft movements, 7.8% more than in 2023; and transported 1,280,169 tonnes of freight, 18.6% more than last year.
Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas Airport recorded the highest number of passengers in 2024 at 66,196,984, representing a growth of 9.9% compared to 2023. It is followed by Josep Tarradellas Barcelona-El Prat, with 55,034,955 passengers (+10.3% compared to 2023); Palma de Mallorca, with 33,298,164 (+7%); Málaga-Costa del Sol, with 24,923,774 (+11.5%); Alicante-Elche Miguel Hernández, with 18,387,387 (+16.8%); Gran Canaria, with 15,211,338 (+9%); Tenerife Sur, with 13,740,411 (+11.4%); and Valencia, with 10,811,672 passengers, which is 8.7% more than in 2023.
Additionally, a new record number of passengers was reached in 2024 in the Aena network as a whole and in 21 airports: Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas, Josep Tarradellas Barcelona-El Prat, Palma de Mallorca, Málaga-Costa del Sol, Alicante-Elche Miguel Hernández, Gran Canaria, Tenerife Sur, Valencia, Sevilla, César Manrique-Lanzarote, Fuerteventura, Menorca, Bilbao, Tenerife Norte-Ciudad de La Laguna, Ibiza, Santiago-Rosalía de Castro, Asturias, La Palma, Melilla, El Hierro and La Gomera.
In terms of operations, the airport with the most movements in 2024 was Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas, with a total of 420,182 (+8% compared to 2023), followed by Josep Tarradellas Barcelona-El Prat, with 347,977 flights (+9.1%); Palma de Mallorca, with 243,200 (+6.2%); Málaga-Costa del Sol, with 174,915 (+8.2%); Gran Canaria, with 140,464 (+8.4%) and Alicante-Elche Miguel Hernández, with 116,270 landings and take-offs (+15.6%).
2024 was the year with the highest number of global operations in Aena and in 18 of its infrastructures: Gran Canaria, Málaga-Costa del Sol, Palma de Mallorca, Alicante-Elche Miguel Hernández, Tenerife Norte-Ciudad de La Laguna, César Manrique-Lanzarote, Seville, Menorca, Ibiza, Santiago-Rosalía de Castro, La Palma, Burgos, Córdoba, Logroño, El Hierro, Tenerife Sur, Fuerteventura and Son Bonet.
Aena is already analysing, and in some cases, it has already set in motion, the necessary investments that will be included in Aena’s proposal for the Airport Regulation Document DORA 2027-2031, the airport manager’s investment programme, in order to ensure, as has been the case until now, that the infrastructures will be correctly sized for future demand. The sustainable growth of airports in economic, environmental and airport infrastructure terms contributes to generating wealth and creating jobs in the areas they serve. The definition of needs is, therefore, strictly technical.
Aena will invite discussions on the investments in the mandatory consultation process with airlines, a procedure regulated by Act 18 of 2014 and involving, among others, the National Commission for Markets and Competition and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation. Following their presentation to users and airlines, and after being discussed with the Airport Coordination Committees of the different territories, which include representatives of regional and local governments and regional economic and social sectors, they shall be included in Aena’s investment plan.
In terms of freight traffic, 2024 was the year with the highest total freight traffic to date in the Aena network in Spain. The airport with the highest freight volume was Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas at 766,818 tonnes, 19.2% more than in 2023. This was also the year with the highest total commercial freight traffic in the history of the Madrid infrastructure, as was the case with Josep Tarradellas Barcelona-El Prat Airport at 181,688 tonnes (+16.1%), which has also registered an all-time freight record. They are followed by the airports of Zaragoza, which recorded a total of 181,409 tonnes (+39.7%); and Vitoria at 70,490 tonnes (-1.7%).
In December 2024, 21,703,760 passengers had passed through Aena airports in Spain (7.5% more than in the same month in 2023); 188,850 aircraft movements were recorded (+7.1%); and 110,980 tonnes of freight were transported, 11.3% more than in the same period in 2023.
Aena Brasil Airports
The 17 airports of Aena Brasil have reached a total of 43,375,976 passengers in October, 5.6% more than in 2023. There were 480,914 aircraft movements, an increase of 5% compared to 2023, and 110,804 tonnes of freight were transported, 12.9% more than last year.
The group of six ANB airports(1) closed 2024 with 15,932,971 passengers (+8.3%). Recife Airport reached 9,593,804 passengers (+6.1%). There were 158,484 flights (+11.2%), of which Recife managed 91,314 (+8%). Additionally, 58,800 tonnes of freight were moved (+10.2%), of which 48,175 tonnes corresponded to Recife Airport (+9%).
BOAB’s group of eleven airports (2) recorded 27,443,005 passengers in 2024 (4.1% more than in 2023). Among them, Congonhas Airport(3) stands out with 23,130,523 passengers (+4.5%). A total of 322,430 flights were handled (+2.1%), of which 234,538 (+1.6%) were at São Paulo airport. 52,004 tonnes of freight were transported (+16.1%); at Congonhas Airport in São Paulo, 42,574 tonnes were handled, 17.2% more than in 2023.
In December, 3,938,636 passengers passed through Aena airports in Brazil (+5.8%); 40,331 aircraft movements were recorded (+1%); and 11,523 tonnes of freight were handled, 16.6% more than in the same month in 2023.
London Luton Airport
During 2024, 16,735,984 passengers(4) passed through London Luton Airport’s facilities in London, 3.3% more than in 2023. 131,972 aircraft movements were carried out (+2.7%) and 30,666 tonnes of freight(5) were transported, 17.8% less than in 2023.
In the last month of 2024, 1,283,515 passengers(4) were recorded (+5.6%), 10,196 aircraft movements were handled (-0.1%), and 2,067 tonnes of freight(5) were transported (-3.5%).
Aena Brasil Network
(1) ANB – Aeroportos do Nordeste do Brasil -, which manages the airports of Recife-PE, Maceió-AL, Aracaju-SE, João Pessoa-PB, Juazeiro do Norte-CE and Campina Grande-PB, recorded 14,717,860 passengers in 2023.
(2) BOAB – Bloco dos Onze Aeroporto do Brasil -, which manages the airports of Congonhas-SP, Campo Grande-MS, Corumbá-MS, Ponta Porã-MS, Santarém-PA, Marabá-PA, Carajás-PA, Altamira-PA, Uberlândia-MG, Montes Claros-MG and Uberaba-MG, recorded 26,377,069 passengers in 2023.
(3) Data for Congonhas Airport, as well as the BOAB airports, are compared with those published by INFRAERO, the previous operator, up to the last quarter of 2023.
London Luton
(4) Passengers under the age of 2 are not counted.
(5) Includes mail transport.
