AENA consolidated its operational growth between January and September 2026 (9M2026), driven by dynamic commercial and passenger demand, counteracting the current volatility in the cargo segment. At a consolidated level, the airport group surpassed 309.9 million cumulative passengers in 9M2026 (+4.1% year-on-year) and 2.6 million aircraft operations (+3.9% year-on-year). In the standalone month of September, AENA closed with 37.67 million passengers (+3.9% year-on-year) and 318,246 aircraft movements (+4.9% year-on-year).
Key Operational Breakdown
- Passenger traffic: The domestic network captured 257.2 million cumulative travelers in 9M2026 (+4.1% year-on-year), backed by strong momentum in September, where it added 31.6 million users (+4.2% year-on-year).
- Major hubs: Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas Airport led the network with 6.3 million passengers in September (+6.6% year-on-year), followed by Barcelona-El Prat with 5.4 million (+2.6% year-on-year).
- Tourism hubs: Alicante-Elche stood out with solid growth, driving up its monthly traffic by 11.5% (2.1 million) and its operations by 12.4%.
Freight & Cargo Performance
However, global freight traffic experienced a 2% year-on-year contraction in 9M2026, weighed down by a 5.7% year-on-year decline in the month of September alone (125,380 tonnes).
Thus, in the cargo segment, despite the year-to-date total in Spain remaining in positive territory (+0.9%, reaching 989,990 tonnes), September reflected a widespread slowdown. This decline was primarily driven by a 13.1% contraction in cargo volume at Madrid-Barajas (62,417 tonnes)—a sector-wide impact that could not be offset by double-digit increases at specialized secondary terminals such as Vitoria (+12.5%).
