Aena’s Board of Directors has approved the awarding of the tender for the complete renovation of restaurants and food courts at Josep Tarradellas Barcelona-El Prat Airport. This involves the refurbishment and relaunch of 48 outlets that occupy a total surface area of 20,500 square metres. The process has attracted a great deal of interest: local, national and international operators (up to 16 bidders) have submitted 84 bids for 48 contracts. None have been left vacant. Winning bids were submitted by nine operators: Areas, Pansfood, WDFG, SSP, Eurest, Lagardère, Enrique Tomás, Five Guys and Good News.

The term of the contracts will mostly be eight years, with some of them extending up to ten and twelve years in unique spaces, thus ensuring stability and a long-term culinary vision.

The strategic weight of catering in the passenger experience
The new contracts make up a balanced commercial mix, combining established operators with new additions. Based on number of outlets, Areas (22 outlets), Pansfood (12), SSP (5), WDFG (3) and Eurest (2) are of especial significance, together with Lagardère, Enrique Tomás, Five Guys and Good News, which have one outlet each.

This renovation will incorporate 15 new brands and three operators not previously present in the airport's catering services - Eurest, Five Guys and Good News - thus boosting culinary diversity and adapting offers to the trends and requirements of today's passengers.

These contracts represent an important reinforcement of the airport's business model. The sum of the Guaranteed Minimum Annual Income from tender awards is increased by 26% compared to tender income and there are increases of up to 31% and 32% compared to the current contracts starting in 2026 and 2028.

"The response of local, national and international brands to the project, which we have named 'Muerde Barcelona’ (Barcelona Bites), has been excellent, both in terms of the quality of the technical bids and the increase in income. This catering renovation is one of the cornerstones of Aena's commercial strategy in Barcelona and reinforces the airport’s positioning as a hub, with a diverse and innovative culinary proposal in line with the standards of the main European airports", stated María José Cuenda, Aena's General Director for Commercial and Real Estate.

A more diverse and contemporary culinary offer
The airport's new restaurants will offer a wide variety of concepts, from major international brands to innovative and local proposals. In the area of quick service and informal catering, categories such as hamburger restaurants and international cuisine have been reinforced, with the inclusion of Five Guys, which opens for the first time in an Aena airport, together with brands that are already consolidated, such as Burger King and McDonald's.

The offer is supplemented with brands such as KFC, Taco Bell, Subway, Popeyes, Pret A Manger, La Place and La Donatella, as well as emerging and specialised names such as Motta, Lady Babka, Wetherspoon, Sana Locura (Gluten Free) or Good News, the latter linked to speciality coffee. Local catering has also been promoted, with iconic Barcelona brands such as Boldú, Morro Fi, Bar Bocata, Chalito and Demasié, which bring the city's gastronomy to the airport.

Within the area of signature cuisine, the airport will continue to maintain a premium offer led by the Torres Brothers, at the head of the restaurant Alas, operated by SSP, and reserved for Michelin-starred chefs. In addition to this restaurant, the Catalan chefs will add 'Terra', a healthy restaurant that contributes to the uniqueness of the airport’s culinary propositions.