Presentation | Josep Tarradellas Barcelona-El Prat Airport

Josep Tarradellas Barcelona-El Prat Airport is now consolidated as a strategic point of reference in the Euro-Mediterranean airspace.

The continuous improvement of its facilities and the quality of its services have enabled this airport to establish an exceptional position to face the future with certainty.

The increase in passenger traffic at the airport is an accurate indicator of the advances made over the last decade. Passenger numbers have gone from 11,727,814 in 1995 to 52,686,314 in 2019, one of the highest average growth rates among Europe's leading airports.

Having modernised its facilities, Josep Tarradellas Barcelona-El Prat airport can offer quality services for passengers and an airfield worthy of a top-level airport, suitable for use by large commercial planes.

The construction and introduction of the third runway in September 2004 and the extension to the primary runway were decisive steps to increase the airport's capacity, and it can now handle 90 operations an hour.

With the aim of consolidating the airport as a model in the Mediterranean and southern Europe, the Master Plan included a set of actions to modernise and increase the airport's capacity.

The most emblematic project in this phase was the construction of Terminal T1, which is located between runways. T1, of great architectural value, was conceived as a large logistical operations and services centre. It has a capacity of 33 million users per year and has overseen an investment of 1.25 billion euros.

Work on this building was followed by the remodelling of Terminal T2 and the expansion and remodelling of the shopping areas in both terminals. New shops, new concepts, and new brands to adapt the offer to the passengers who use the airport facilities.

Other projects included in the Master Plan are the urbanisation of over 300 hectares as a service area for the industrial and commercial development of the airport; the creation of a 90-hectare aeronautic park for installing maintenance hangars; and the construction of a city with office buildings and hotels.

This plan will continue to transform the airport by applying an innovative concept that aims to turn its facilities into a sustainable airport city and a large air traffic distribution centre for southern Europe.

				41,639,622
passengers in 2022

				283,394
operations in 2022

				155,600
tonnes of cargo in 2022

Awards and recognition

On 17 June 2009 terminal T1 came into service, the infrastructure which confirmed the status of Barcelona-El Prat as a benchmark airport in Southern Europe. Since then, the airport installations have won several awards from institutions of different types.

In 2009 the airport received the Excellence in Logistics Award from Fundación ICIL for its procedural tests in terminal T1. It also won the Prize for the Best National Project of the year at Barcelona Meeting Point and the El Vigía Award for the best infrastructure of the year. The media plan for the opening of the terminal was also recognised by the Col•legi de Periodistes de Catalunya in the crisis management category.

Terminal T1 has twice won the Prize for the Best European Airport with more than 25 million passengers. This was presented by the Airport Council International (ACI) in 2010 and 2014. This prize recognises its excellent performance in all the key areas, thanks to its investment in infrastructure, its strong commitment to environmental sustainability, and its much wider range of new routes and international traffic.

In 2010 the network of Catalan tourism journalists, ACPETUR, awarded T1 the Ali Bei Prize for the best contribution to quality in tourism. The ESIC business school also awarded it the ASTER Media Prize for the "Volem" media campaign, launched for the opening of T1.

Josep Tarradellas Barcelona-El Prat Airport won with the Skytrax Award for Best Airport in Southern Europe in four years, 2011, 2012, 2014 and 2016. This is one of the World Airport Awards, which are based on surveys of around 11 million passengers from more than 100 countries. Barcelona-El Prat Airport was recognised by the digital publication Airline Network News & Analysis with the 2012 Euro Annie Award as the airport with most passenger growth in Europe in the top category (more than 10 million passengers). Also, in 2017, Airline Network News and Analysis (www.anna.aero) recognised the Barcelona airport as the airport with the most new long haul routes for the year (between August 2016 and August 2017) and in 2018 ACI Europe has awarded it the Distinction of Highly Commended in the category for airports with “over 25 million passengers” at the Best Airport Awards.

Following the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, Josep Tarradellas Barcelona-El Prat Airport focused its efforts on implementing health measures that would guarantee the safety of passengers and its staff. Those efforts earned it ACI Europe’s Airport Health Accreditation (AHA) certification in 2021, a 5-star rating from the prestigious Skytrax consultancy's “Covid-19 Safety Ratings” programme and the Covid-19 Airport Excellence Award from Skytrax. The airport was also the recipient of a distinction in 2022, with the Airport Service Quality (ASQ) Award for Best Hygiene Measures in the European region.

The last few years have seen the airport gaining recognition for its efforts in the fields of sustainability and passenger experience, receiving ACI Europe’s Level 3 Airport Carbon Accreditation in 2021, the Distinction of Highly Commended in the category for airports with “over 40 million passengers” in the Best Airport Awards in 2022, the ACI Europe Distinction of Voice of the customer and the Best Innovation in airport passenger related processes award from the Airports Council International (ACI) and Amadeus.