Aena’s tariffs for next year will undergo the increase desired by the airport manager. The National Commission for Markets and Competition (CNMC) granted an increase of 6.44%, which breaks with the previous ten years in which the public company was forced to the maximum aspiration to freeze the prices applied to airlines to operate in the airport network. The fares are paid by travellers, collected by airlines with ticket sales and support Aena’s operating costs and investments in aviation activity. The Association of Airlines (ALA), as well as important industry players such as Ryanair, had requested greater price containment in view of the advantages that Aena obtains.
The CNMC acted as supervisor of Aena’s proposal, which was close to an increase of 6.5%, checking its compliance with the regulatory framework. A legal restriction limiting tariff increases to 0% prevailed between 2015 and 2025. That corset imposed at the time of the popular Ana Pastor on the Ministry of Development has decreased and will not determine the tariff path for the next regulated five-year period, 2027-2031, for which Aena plans an investment of 10 billion in aeronautical activities. The mountain of terminal and runway expansion projects represents almost five times the current level of annual investments, set at 450 million.
Aena charges airlines an amount for the use of runways, terminals, pedestrian crossings, aircraft parking, security services at passenger checks, etc. With an average increase of 6.44%, the maximum revenue per adjusted passenger (IMAAJ) applicable by Aena will rise to 11.02 euros per passenger.
Since the summer it was taken for granted that the variation in Aena’s calculations would be minimal, given that the CNMV had already revised one of the elements that can cause the tariff calculation to fluctuate, the P index. This includes the prices of services that are outside the direct management of Aena, such as the salaries of public personnel, the costs of air traffic control or electricity and taxes. Aena had correctly applied the evolution of these costs and their transfer to the tariffs that will begin to be applied starting from March 2026.
The CNMC highlights this morning that the tariff freeze in the regulatory periods from 2017 to 2021 and from 2022 to 2025 has achieved price stability at airports. This achieved the dual objective of fueling air traffic and tourism after the financial crisis and providing a stable horizon for airlines following the entry of private capital into Aena with its IPO in February 2015.
(Article in progress. There will be expansion)
