Presentation of the proposal of the working group on the Aeroport El Prat

Today we presented Barcelona Global's proposal to turn Barcelona - El Prat Airport (BCN) into an international hub. This consists of extending the short runway parallel to the sea to allow intercontinental flights to take place, regenerating La Ricarda, and improving the quality of the ornithological area.

These conclusions are the result of a working group, led by the President of Barcelona Global, Maite Barrera Xaubet; the CEO Mercè Conesa; Projects Director, Cristina H. Valiñani; the Ecosocial Activist, Sergi Ferrer-Salat; and the Vall d’Hebron Institute of Oncology (VHIO) Director, Josep Tabernero and members of the Executive Committee. Experts from different sectors, such as aeronautics and infrastructure, as well as with economists, biologists, ecologists, ornithologists and researchers of the natural environment, have also been consulted.

During seven months, the work group analyzed the different options for improving the airport's connections, guaranteeing environmental sustainability and the need to have good connectivity, essential for the city's competitiveness and the attraction of impactful talent and investment. This proposal will be introduced to the Generalitat de Catalunya and the other administrations in the upcoming weeks.

Regenerating La Ricarda is key, as it currently does not have proper water management, causing a destruction of the biodiversity and eutrophic waters. Therefore, it is essential to improve the quality of the bird area.

On the other hand, Barcelona Global proposes to lengthen the short runway parallel to the sea to make it possible for intercontinental flights to take off, avoiding the acoustic impact and the reduction in capacity that occurs if they take off from the land runway.

At the same time, the report also prioritizes international routes to economically relevant destinations for the knowledge economy and impactful talent, and reroute flights to Girona or Reus setting initiatives for trips to the Costa Brava or the Costa Daurada.

In this way, Barcelona will have a better connectivity, without promoting the escalation in tourist saturation, from the triple ecological, economic and social aspect, on the city's resources and the lives of the citizens.