Thousands protest Barcelona airport expansion plans following government investment approval
Between 5,500 and 30,000 protesters marched through central Barcelona on Sunday against proposed runway expansion works at El Prat airport following the approval of Aena's five-year DORA III investment framework.
Demonstration routes and turnout across the city
Thousands of protesters assembled in central Barcelona on Sunday, 20 September 2026, to oppose the proposed expansion of Josep Tarradellas Barcelona-El Prat Airport. The demonstration commenced shortly after 12:00 at the junction of Passeig de Gràcia and Carrer d'Aragó before proceeding through Gran Via, Plaça Urquinaona, and Via Laietana toward Plaça de Sant Jaume. Mobilization included ten neighborhood columns from Barcelona alongside nine columns arriving from metropolitan municipalities such as El Prat de Llobregat, Sant Boi, and Cornellà. A contingent of 150 bicycles and four agricultural tractors also entered from Plaça d'Espanya. Organizers estimated participation at 30,000 people, whereas the Guàrdia Urbana counted 5,500 attendees.
- Guàrdia Urbana
- 5500 people
- Zeroport organizers
- 30000 people
- Tractor and cyclist contingents begin their route toward the central assembly point.
- Demonstrators gather at the Carrer d'Aragó junction shortly after 12:00 to start the main march.
- The unified march moves from Plaça Urquinaona along central thoroughfares.
- Protesters gather in front of institutional buildings and launch paper airplanes.
Environmental and civic coalition demands
The mobilization was coordinated by the Zeroport platform and supported by more than 210 civic entities and approximately 130 academics. Demonstrators carried banners reading "expansion, neither now nor ever" and chanted slogans demanding investment in rail transport over aviation. Activists argued that extending airport infrastructure threatens adjacent protected natural spaces, increases aviation emissions, and worsens municipal housing pressures and mass tourism. Upon reaching Plaça de Sant Jaume, participants concluded the demonstration by launching paper airplanes toward government headquarters. Zeroport representative Jaume Osete articulated the collective stance before the march began.
We are thousands of people from across the country showing the public's outright rejection of a project that, if carried out, will worsen some of the main problems facing the country, such as the housing crisis, the climate emergency, or mass tourism.
Political divisions over airport governance
Elected officials from Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya (ERC), Comuns, and Candidatura d'Unitat Popular (CUP) joined the march to challenge the infrastructure plans. Jéssica Albiach and Gerardo Pisarello of Comuns urged Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez to withdraw the initiative, describing it as an extractivist project. Alba Bou, the mayor of El Prat de Llobregat, proposed improving transit links to Girona Airport, pointing out that Girona operates at 30% capacity. Diana Riba of ERC demanded that infrastructure governance be transferred to Catalonia and called for capital to be redirected toward rail transit and agricultural diversification. Laure Vega of the CUP contested claims by Catalan president Salvador Illa that the expanded facility could achieve environmental sustainability.
We live in a country suffocated by tourism, in a city suffocated by tourism, while a third of Catalans cannot take vacations.
Approval of the DORA III investment framework
The protest occurred days after the Spanish Council of Ministers approved Aena's third Airport Regulation Document (DORA III) for the 2027–2031 period. The regulatory package allocates nearly €13 billion across the Spanish airport network, designating €1.76 billion specifically for Barcelona-El Prat over the next five years. While the DORA III plan does not directly mandate the construction of an extended runway, it includes preliminary works intended to prepare the site for future capacity modifications.
