Competition gives the green light to Aena to raise rates by 6.44% in 2026 despite the airlines’ reluctance

The National Markets and Competition Commission (CNMC) has approved the 6.44% increase in Aena rates that the airport manager proposed months ago for the year 2026, so the applicable Maximum Revenue per Adjusted Passenger (IMAAJ) remains at 11.02 euros per passenger compared to the 10.35 euros that have prevailed this year. The adjustment of 67 cents per traveler puts an end to a decade with frozen rates, by Law 18/2014, which was only altered in an extraordinary way to apply a 4.09% increase in 2024 in order to compensate for the effect of the energy overruns caused by the war in Ukraine.

These rates include the amounts that Aena charges airlines for the use of terminals, runways, boarding bridges or security controls. They are passed on to passengers through the ticket, so that any increase ends up being transferred to the final price of the trip. In this context, the approval of the CNMC, as the body in charge of supervising the rate proposal and controlling that it is in accordance with the legal framework, is the definitive step to ratify the increase projected for next year.

Naturally, the airlines do not embrace the measure and advocate establishing new regulatory limitations similar to the one that has been in force during the last decade to “avoid disproportionate growth in rates” as reported by the ALA employers’ association. “The experience of the last 10 years confirms that successive freezes or reductions in airport fees have led to a virtuous circle, facilitating growth in air traffic and, with it, tourism, economic activity and connectivity, all of which has allowed Aena to obtain record profits and distribute multimillion-dollar dividends to all its shareholders,” the association that represents airlines reproaches.

Last week, precisely, Congress also witnessed this regulatory controversy when the PP tried to freeze airport taxes, but its attempt, unlike the demand on Renfe to increase compensation for AVE delays, remained a dead letter by only securing the support of Vox. If it had gone ahead, Aena would be forced to review its regulated investment plan of 9,991 million for the next regulatory framework (Dora 3, which covers the period between 2027 and 2031), as communicated to the National Securities Market Commission (CNMV).

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