Airports operated by the Aena Group in Spain, Brazil, and the United Kingdom welcomed a total of 28,775,355 passengers in March 2025, marking a 4.3% increase compared to the same month last year. The month also saw 249,502 aircraft movements (+3.9%) and the transport of 126,889 tonnes of cargo, reflecting 7.6% year-on-year growth, according to the airport operator’s report released Monday.
In the first quarter of the year, Aena airports—which include 46 airports and two heliports in Spain, London Luton Airport, and 17 airports in Brazil—handled 78,312,273 passengers, a 4.9% increase compared to the first quarter of 2024. The group also recorded 695,281 flights (+4%) and moved 346,728 tonnes of cargo (+6.1%).
Steady Growth in Spain
In Spain, Aena's airport network transported 23,820,386 passengers in March, up 4.2% year-on-year. It also managed 202,270 aircraft movements (+5.7%) and handled 114,078 tonnes of cargo (+7.6%).
Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas remained the busiest airport with 5,503,333 passengers (+3%), followed by Barcelona-El Prat with 4,356,270 (+1.8%); Málaga-Costa del Sol, 1,897,983 (+8.3%); Palma de Mallorca, 1,551,262 (+1.5%); Gran Canaria, 1,489,837 (+0.7%); Alicante-Elche Miguel Hernández, 1,475,739 (+16.4%); and Tenerife Sur, 1,378,759 (+2.4%).
According to Aena, March set new passenger records at six airports: Gran Canaria, Tenerife Sur, Seville, César Manrique-Lanzarote, Fuerteventura, and La Palma. A total of 16 facilities reached historic highs for March, including Madrid-Barajas, Barcelona-El Prat, Málaga, Alicante, and Valencia.
In terms of aircraft movements, Madrid-Barajas led with 35,544 flights (+3.7%), followed by Barcelona-El Prat (28,411, +5.2%), Gran Canaria (13,505, +2.1%), Málaga (13,489, +11.3%), and Alicante-Elche (9,396, +19.1%).
Thirteen airports recorded their busiest March ever in terms of operations, including Palma de Mallorca, Seville, Tenerife Norte-Ciudad de La Laguna, La Palma, and Córdoba.
In cargo operations, Madrid-Barajas handled 70,919 tonnes, an 8.8% increase over March 2024, setting a new monthly record. Barcelona-El Prat also posted its best March with 16,359 tonnes (+6.6%), followed by Zaragoza with 14,225 tonnes (+6.2%) and Vitoria with 5,974 tonnes (+2.2%).
For the quarter, Spanish airports processed 63,615,238 passengers (+4.7%), 555,525 flights (+5.9%), and 309,070 tonnes of cargo (+5.4%).
Positive Momentum in Brazil
Aena’s 17 airports in Brazil handled 3,633,448 passengers in March, up 4.5% year-on-year. However, aircraft movements fell 5.2% to 36,880, while cargo volumes increased by 13.4% to 10,379 tonnes.
In the ANB group of six airports (Recife, Maceió, Aracaju, João Pessoa, Juazeiro do Norte, and Campina Grande), 1,316,829 passengers were recorded (+7%), led by Recife Airport with 782,905 passengers (+4.2%). Meanwhile, the BOAB group of 11 airports, including Congonhas and several regional hubs, recorded 2,316,619 passengers (+3.1%), with 1,960,556 passing through Congonhas (+2.2%).
Cargo volumes rose sharply at Congonhas, where 4,332 tonnes were moved—37.5% more than in March 2024.
In the first quarter, Brazilian airports handled 11,075,212 passengers (+5.3%), 110,929 aircraft movements (-4.3%), and 30,712 tonnes of cargo (+15.9%).
London Luton Keeps Upward Trend
London Luton Airport saw 1,321,521 passengers in March, a 6.3% increase year-on-year. The airport handled 10,352 flights (+4.2%), although cargo fell 11.9% to 2,496 tonnes.
For the quarter, Luton processed 3,621,823 passengers (+7.3%), with 28,827 flights (+3.7%) and 7,124 tonnes of cargo (-3.2%).
Despite comparisons with a March 2024 that included Easter, the growth across several key metrics confirms what Aena describes as a continued upward trend in air traffic across its main markets.
Download document: Aena airport traffic report – March 2025 (Spanish document)
AUTOR
Contando la aviación desde marzo del año 2000. Fundador y Managing Editor de Aviacionline.
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