Aena Group airports recorded 25.83 million passengers in January 2026, up 3.3% year-on-year, while aircraft movements declined 0.7% to 221,194 operations. Freight volumes reached 115,876 tonnes, a strong 7.1% increase, marking a record January for cargo across the network.
Spain: Slower Growth Momentum
Across Aena’s 46 airports and two heliports in Spain, traffic reached 20.3 million passengers, up 2.6% compared to January 2025. However, growth slowed significantly versus the 6.1% increase recorded a year earlier. Aircraft movements in Spain totaled 173,431, down 0.6% year-on-year.
The busiest Spanish airports in January were:
- Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas Airport: 5.38 million passengers (+3.5%)
- Josep Tarradellas Barcelona-El Prat Airport: 3.81 million (+3%)
- Málaga-Costa del Sol Airport: 1.44 million (+5.1%)
- Gran Canaria Airport: 1.40 million (+2.1%)
- Tenerife South Airport: 1.28 million (-1%)
- Alicante-Elche Miguel Hernández Airport: 1.11 million (+4.7%)
- Palma de Mallorca Airport: 882,638 (-3%)
Madrid also led cargo performance with 62,538 tonnes (+6.3%), its strongest January on record. Barcelona posted 15,611 tonnes (+16.5%), Zaragoza 13,868 tonnes (+19.6%), while Vitoria saw a slight decline.
Brazil: Solid Passenger and Cargo Gains
Aena’s 17 Brazilian airports handled 4.34 million passengers, up 6.7%, despite a 1.2% decrease in aircraft movements. Freight volumes rose sharply by 13.9% to 11,447 tonnes.
Within the portfolio:
- The ANB group (Northeast Brazil) welcomed 1.77 million passengers (+7.7%), led by Recife/Guararapes–Gilberto Freyre International Airport with over 1 million passengers (+7.1%).
- The BOAB group recorded 2.57 million passengers (+5.9%), with Congonhas Airport accounting for 2.2 million (+7.2%).
United Kingdom: Mixed Results at Luton
At London Luton Airport, passenger traffic increased 4% to 1.17 million, while aircraft movements edged up 0.3%. However, freight volumes dropped sharply by 59.1% year-on-year.
Overall, Aena Group started 2026 with moderate passenger growth, record cargo performance, and clear signs of a cooling trend in Spanish airport traffic compared to last year’s stronger expansion.