Aena airports near 30 million passengers in March

Aena Group airports handled just under 30 million passengers in March 2026, marking a 4.3 percent increase compared with the same month last year.

 

Across its global network, which includes airports in Spain, Brazil and London Luton, the group recorded 29.99 million passengers, alongside 264,381 aircraft movements, up 6 percent year-on-year. Cargo volumes reached 127,610 tonnes, a modest increase of 0.5 percent.

In Spain, Aena’s core network processed 24.7 million passengers, up 3.9 percent, although growth slowed slightly compared with the previous year. Madrid-Barajas remained the busiest airport with 5.7 million passengers, followed by Barcelona-El Prat with 4.6 million. Other major airports, including Málaga, Alicante and Palma de Mallorca, also posted solid gains.

Several airports set new monthly records for March, including Madrid, Barcelona, Málaga and Valencia, while Sevilla and Gran Canaria achieved all-time passenger highs for the month.

International operations also contributed to growth. Aena’s Brazilian airports handled nearly 3.9 million passengers in March, an increase of 7.2 percent, with strong performance at Recife and São Paulo Congonhas. Meanwhile, London Luton Airport recorded 1.34 million passengers, up 1.8 percent year-on-year.

For the first quarter of 2026, Aena reported 81.3 million passengers across its network, a 3.8 percent increase compared with the same period last year. The group said traffic was supported by shifting travel patterns following a rail disruption in January and the timing of Easter, which fell partly in March this year.

Despite continued growth, cargo performance remained mixed across regions, with declines in some European markets offset by gains in Brazil and Asia-related flows.