Barcelona airport surpasses 5.1 million passengers in April

Barcelona's El Prat airport handled more than 5.1 million passengers in April, a 4.1% increase compared to the same month last year, according to figures published by airport operator Aena.

The facility recorded 5,103,478 travelers during the month, setting a new April record and extending the airport's run of record-high traffic levels.

So far this year, passenger numbers have climbed to nearly 17.4 million, also up 4.1% year-on-year. Aena said part of the increase is due to passengers shifting from rail to air travel following the train accident in Gelida last January.

Commercial flights accounted for almost all passengers registered in April, totaling 5,098,131 travelers, 4.2% more than a year earlier.

Of these, 3,861,750 passengers flew on international routes, a 3.7% increase year-on-year, while domestic traffic rose 5.5% to 1,236,381 travelers.

From January to April, international passenger traffic climbed 5.1% to 13,004,489 travelers, while domestic traffic increased 1.4% to 4,364,041 passengers.

At the same time, airport operations continued to grow with 32,057 flights recorded in April, 3.9% more than in the same month last year.

Cargo traffic also increased, reaching 17,151 tons in April, a 9% increase year-on-year.

Madrid remains Spain's busiest airport

Across Aena's entire network, including 46 airports and two heliports in Spain, London-Luton airport, and 17 airports in Brazil, passenger traffic reached 33.5 million in April, a 3.6% increase from a year earlier.

Madrid-Barajas airport once again recorded the highest passenger numbers in Spain during the month, handling 5,776,833 travelers, up 3.3% year-on-year.

Barcelona's El Prat remained the country's second busiest airport, with Madrid handling 673,355 more passengers.

Palma de Mallorca airport ranked third with 3,089,279 passengers, up 2.6%, followed by Málaga airport, which saw traffic rise 9.5% to 2,613,939 travelers.