La Generalitat has requested Aena that it reconsiders its investment planning for airports in the Valencia following a report from Chamber of Commerce of Valencia who insists on the need to expand the airport of Valencia-Manises to respond to sustained demand growth.
According to reports from the Ministry of Industry, Tourism, Innovation and TradeThe document warns that the lack of necessary expansion investments will "seriously limit" the growth of Valencia Airport in the short and medium term. Along these lines, the regional minister Marian Cano He has called on the central government to act swiftly in expanding an infrastructure that, he pointed out, operates at very high capacity levels and needs to adapt to the continued increase in traffic.
The regional minister has also requested a review of the forecasts included by Aena in the new DORA 2027-2031, the planning document that contemplates approximately 10.000 millones de euros investment in the entire Spanish airport network.
In this regard, the Generalitat He contrasted this with passenger projections for Valencia Airport. According to data handled by Aena, the estimate is to reach 13,5 million of passengers in 2031, which would represent an average annual increase of 2,4 % across 2026 and 2031However, the Valencia Chamber of Commerce estimates that the figures will be exceeded. 17 million of passengers in 2030, an 25 % above what Aena had predicted.
The Ministry added that the latest passenger traffic data reinforces these growth forecasts. Specifically, the increase was 8,9 % en 2024 and the 9,6 % en 2025, until reaching 11,8 million of passengers, as set out in the Chamber's report prepared in 2024.
The second clue for Alicante-Elche, also on the table
The Consell has recalled that, along with Manises, another of its demands is the construction of a second track at the airport Alicante-Elche Miguel Hernández, Which 2025 He has exceeded 19,9 million of annual passengers, with a year-on-year growth of 8,5 %In this case, the objective is to promote an expansion that will allow it to compete "on equal terms" with other airports, such as the one in Malaga.
Cano also emphasized that “even Aena itself states that airports need to increase the size of their facilities so as not to hinder the mobility of citizens and economic growth.” With this argument, he reiterated that the Generalitat It will continue to demand that the Spanish Government review airport investments and accelerate the expansion of both infrastructures, which it considers "strategic" for the economy and the future of tourism in the Valencian Community.
