Aena airports handle 25.4 million passengers in February as traffic continues to grow

Aena reported 25.4 million passengers across its global airport network in February 2026, a 3.7% increase year-on-year, as traffic continued to grow across Spain, Brazil and the UK.

The group — which operates 46 airports and two heliports in Spain, London Luton Airport in the United Kingdom, and 17 airports in Brazil — also recorded 218,751 aircraft movements (+1.9%) and 119,929 tonnes of cargo (+7.3%) during the month.

Spain remains the core market

Airports in Spain handled 20.6 million passengers in February, up 2.8% year-on-year, although the growth rate was lower than the 4% increase recorded a year earlier. Around 108,000 additional passengers were attributed to travellers shifting to air transport following a January rail accident and technical disruptions on high-speed train routes linking Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas Airport, Málaga-Costa del Sol Airport, Seville Airport, and Barcelona–El Prat Airport.

Madrid-Barajas remained the busiest airport in the network, handling 5.1 million passengers (+5.3%), followed by Barcelona–El Prat with 3.9 million (+3.8%). Other major airports included Málaga-Costa del Sol, Gran Canaria Airport, Tenerife South Airport, Alicante–Elche Miguel Hernández Airport, and Palma de Mallorca Airport.

A total of 18 airports in Spain recorded their busiest February on record, while eight airports achieved an all-time February record for passenger traffic, including Málaga-Costa del Sol and Gran Canaria.

Cargo traffic in Spain grew strongly, reaching 108,238 tonnes (+9.1%), with Madrid-Barajas leading the network at 65,279 tonnes, its highest February cargo volume on record.

Growth in Brazil and steady traffic in London

Aena Brasil airports handled 3.67 million passengers in February, an 8.9% increase year-on-year, led by strong demand at Recife/Guararapes–Gilberto Freyre International Airport and São Paulo–Congonhas Airport.

Meanwhile, London Luton Airport processed 1.21 million passengers (+3%), although cargo volumes dropped sharply due to runway resurfacing works requiring nighttime closures.

Year-to-date performance

During the first two months of 2026, Aena Group airports handled 51.3 million passengers (+3.5%), while cargo volumes increased 7.2% to 235,805 tonnes, highlighting continued demand growth across the operator’s international network.