Aena Group airports handled more than 41.38 million passengers in August 2026, representing a 4.7% increase compared with the same month last year.
The group, which includes Aena’s network in Spain as well as London Luton, Leeds Bradford and 17 airports in Brazil, also recorded 330,526 aircraft movements during the month, up 4.5%.
Cargo traffic moved in the opposite direction, falling 5.7% to 116,723 tonnes.
For the first eight months of 2026, Aena Group airports handled 272.25 million passengers, an increase of 4.1% year on year.
Spanish airports handle 34.9 million passengers
Aena’s 46 airports and two heliports in Spain accounted for the majority of the group’s traffic, handling 34.89 million passengers in August, up 4.7%.
Madrid-Barajas remained the busiest airport in the network with 6,544,815 passengers, an increase of 4.8% compared with August 2025.
Barcelona-El Prat followed with 5,933,007 passengers, up 4.6%, while Palma de Mallorca handled 4,808,295 passengers, an increase of 2.3%.
Málaga-Costa del Sol passed the three-million mark with 3,050,841 passengers, up 6.6%.
Some of the strongest growth among Spain’s major airports was recorded on the Mediterranean coast.
Alicante-Elche handled 2,337,378 passengers, representing an 11.4% year-on-year increase, while Valencia reached 1,298,710 passengers, up 10.1%.
Ibiza handled 1.52 million passengers, up 2.5%, while Gran Canaria grew 3.1% to 1.33 million.
Tenerife South was an exception to the broader growth trend, with passenger numbers falling 4.2% to 1.06 million.
Madrid remains Aena’s busiest airport
Madrid-Barajas also recorded the highest number of aircraft movements in August, with 39,606 take-offs and landings, up 6.5%.
Barcelona followed with 34,772 movements, while Palma de Mallorca recorded 32,324.
Across Aena’s Spanish network, aircraft movements increased 4.3% to 273,292.
Cargo traffic declined 5.2% to 104,356 tonnes, largely reflecting a drop at Madrid.
Madrid-Barajas nevertheless remained by far the largest cargo airport in the network, handling 59,695 tonnes, although this was 12% below August 2025.
Barcelona cargo traffic increased 8.5% to 17,588 tonnes, while Zaragoza grew 4.8% to 15,895 tonnes.
London Luton passenger traffic rises 7.8%
London Luton Airport recorded one of the strongest performances in Aena’s portfolio during August.
The airport handled 1,947,898 passengers, an increase of 7.8% compared with the same month last year.
Traffic at Luton has reached 12.57 million passengers for the first eight months of 2026, up 6.1%.
Cargo volumes at the airport continued to decline, falling 18.2% in August and 27.8% for the year to date. Aena attributed the decrease to overnight runway closures associated with resurfacing works.
Leeds Bradford Airport, which joined the Aena Group in May 2026, handled 561,312 passengers in August, up 3.2% year on year.
Aena’s Brazilian airports reach nearly 4 million passengers
Aena’s 17 airports in Brazil handled 3.98 million passengers during August, representing growth of 3.2%.
Congonhas Airport in São Paulo accounted for more than half of that traffic, handling 2.15 million passengers, up 3.5%.
Recife Airport recorded 811,536 passengers, down 2.7% compared with August last year.
Across the Brazilian portfolio, aircraft movements increased 6.5% while cargo volumes declined 7.3%.
Between January and August, Aena’s Brazilian airports handled 30.94 million passengers, up 3.8%.
Aena Group approaches 273 million passengers in 2026
Across its entire international portfolio, Aena recorded 272,247,393 passengers between January and August, 4.1% more than during the same period in 2025.
Aircraft movements increased 3.7% to 2.31 million.
The results show continued passenger growth across most of Aena’s major markets, with particularly strong August performances at Alicante, Valencia and London Luton alongside continued growth at Madrid and Barcelona.
