Thousands march in Barcelona against airport expansion as protests spread to Balearic Islands

Separate demonstrations were also held in Ibiza and Palma de Mallorca on the same day, turning opposition to airport growth into a wider protest across three of Spain’s biggest tourist destinations.

In Barcelona, the demonstration began at midday at the junction of Passeig de Gràcia and Carrer d’Aragó before making its way through the city centre to Plaça de Sant Jaume.

Barcelona’s local Guardia Urbana police put attendance at around 5,500, while organisers claimed more than 30,000 people had joined the march.

Held under the slogan ‘No to the expansion, not now nor ever’, the protest was organised by the Zeroport platform and supported by more than 250 organisations and collectives, together with around 130 academics.

Groups of demonstrators travelled into the centre from different parts of Barcelona and its metropolitan area, arriving on foot, by bicycle and public transport. The procession also included around 100 cyclists and two tractors from the Baix Llobregat area.

Zeroport described the mobilisation as evidence of ‘outright opposition’ to the expansion of Josep Tarradellas Barcelona-El Prat Airport.

Jaume Osete, a spokesperson for the platform, said the project would ‘exacerbate other societal problems’. ALSO READ: Spanish government to limit short-term rentals and tourist flats to address housing crisis.

Opponents argue that increasing the airport’s capacity would encourage further growth in visitor numbers at a time when Barcelona and other parts of Catalonia are already struggling with the effects of mass tourism and pressure on housing.

Environmental concerns are another major element of the dispute, particularly the potential impact on the neighbouring Llobregat Delta and its protected habitats and birdlife. ALSO READ: Barcelona airport expansion plans: environmentalists at odds with business groups.

€1.76 billion investment for El Prat

Sunday’s demonstration came just days after Spain’s Cabinet approved the latest five-year regulatory programme for airports operated by Aena.

The DORA III programme, covering 2027 to 2031, envisages almost €13 billion of investment across Aena’s Spanish airport network, with approximately €1.76 billion allocated to Barcelona-El Prat. ALSO READ: Spain’s Aena gets green light for €3.2bn expansion of Barcelona-El Prat airport.

The Barcelona package includes extensive improvements to the airport’s existing terminals, airfield and other infrastructure. However, the money does not include construction of the controversial extension to the airport’s sea-side runway or the proposed new satellite terminal.

Around €191 million has instead been allocated to preparatory measures connected to a possible future expansion, including environmental compensation and other preliminary work.

The longer-term proposal envisages extending runway 06R/24L by around 500 metres, partly to improve El Prat’s ability to handle long-haul and intercontinental flights.

Any such extension remains particularly controversial because of the environmentally sensitive Llobregat Delta, including protected land around La Ricarda.

The wider expansion plan has been presented as a way of increasing Barcelona’s international connectivity and eventually enabling El Prat to handle substantially more passengers. The airport is already operating at record levels, having handled almost 57.5 million passengers in 2025. ALSO READ: Spain sets new tourism record as foreign visitors spend €82 billion in first seven months of 2026.

The latest dispute revives an argument that erupted five years ago. A previous proposal to extend the runway and build a satellite terminal prompted a major demonstration in Barcelona in 2021 and was subsequently shelved amid political disagreements and concerns over its environmental impact. ALSO READ: Spain suspends Barcelona airport expansion plans due to lack of support from Catalan government.

Spanish and Catalan authorities returned to the project in 2025 with a revised proposal for the airport’s future development. ALSO READ: Barcelona airport expansion plan given go-ahead with €1.7bn investment

Thousands also demonstrate in Ibiza

Opposition to airport growth was also on display in Ibiza on Sunday, where thousands marched through Ibiza Town against Aena’s plans for the island’s airport.

Government and police estimates put attendance at around 4,500-5,000 people, while organisers estimated that between 5,000 and 10,000 took part, making it one of the island’s largest demonstrations in recent years.

The protest reflected broader concern over the consequences of mass tourism on an island where housing, water resources and infrastructure have increasingly become central political and social issues.

Plans for Ibiza’s airport include investment of around €229 million. The proposed changes include expanding the terminal’s boarding facilities, with the number of gates rising from 17 to 32, as well as creating a dedicated non-Schengen area for passengers travelling to and from countries including the UK and the United States.

Opponents fear that expanding the infrastructure will ultimately allow further increases in tourist arrivals rather than addressing the pressure already being experienced on the island.

Palma protesters call for limits on flights

A third demonstration took place in Palma de Mallorca, where opponents of further growth at Son Sant Joan Airport marched under the slogan ‘No more expansion, no more promotion’.

Initial estimates from security forces put attendance in the hundreds, while organisers said around 3,000 people participated.

More than €620 million of investment is planned for Palma airport and the nearby Son Bonet facilities under the latest programme.

Forecasts envisage annual passenger capacity at Palma increasing from around 34.27 million to 35.67 million between 2027 and 2031.

The Platform Against the Expansion of Palma Airport is demanding measures that go considerably further than stopping physical expansion. Campaigners want the number of flights reduced, restrictions placed on private aviation and an end to night flights because of the disturbance caused to people living near the airport.

They are also calling for legislation giving the Balearic Islands a role in the co-management of their airports and greater influence over decisions about future capacity.

The simultaneous protests in Barcelona, Ibiza and Mallorca underline an increasingly contentious debate in some of Spain’s most heavily visited destinations: whether continued investment in airports and increased aviation capacity can be reconciled with attempts to curb mass tourism, ease pressure on housing and infrastructure, and meet environmental commitments. ALSO READ: ‘Mallorca at breaking point’: record anti-tourism protest ends in clashes with police.