Malaga Airport expansion to begin in 2029 and take seven years to complete

The airport's performance has encouraged newly appointed director Sergio Millanes in his first months in office. "I'm treating the role of airport director with great enthusiasm, not only because of what it is now but also because of what it will become in the short to medium term, as a major transformation lies ahead," he said at a recent press conference.

He was referring to the long-awaited expansion project, which sustained growth of over 6% has prompted. August ended with 3,050,841 passengers, representing an increase of 6.6%. "We've set one traffic record after another, without any major incidents," Millanes said.

The expansion project is set to begin around 2029. It will take seven years to complete. The airport will remain operational during the works.

It is important to address the expansion of the facilities now, given the risk of overcapacity. The airport's current capacity is a maximum of 30 million passengers, but the ever-increasing numbers could reach 36.5 million.

From a technical and aeronautical engineering perspective, the project will affect "all airport flows" in order to reduce the current risk of congestion in various subsystems, which are already operating at or near their capacity limits.

Current studies are focusing on calculating the increase in square metres for each subsystem. In figures, the security screening area will increase by 112%, passport control for departures by 515%, the non-Schengen/flexible waiting and boarding area by 381% and the Schengen (EU) flights area by 126%. Commercial areas and retail space will also increase by 41%.

The link between the two runways will also widen so that aeroplanes can cross each other.

The five-year Dora III document sets a budget of 830 million euros for Malaga Airport. The remainder, up to the 1.5 billion, will in theory feature in the next Dora.

The major engineering challenge will be to keep the airport fully operational while the work is ongoing. The operational strategy will be based on the principle of "build to demolish": first, the new ancillary infrastructure will be built and, once it is operational and passenger flows have been transferred, work will begin on renovating or demolishing the old facilities, dividing the project into multiple micro-phases.

Millanes said that their main objective is to not present obstacles to the province's growth by closing the airport.

To put things in perspective, the equivalent of twice the population of Marbella passes through Malaga Airport every three days. Every day, the facility sees the entire population of Mijas.

The airport has a significant economic, social and employment impact, with some 10,000 accredited staff, both direct and indirect. "Aena has identified the ideal time to begin this major expansion, which is very much focused on addressing the increase in traffic expected in the coming years, as we are approaching the theoretical limits."

The plan also seeks to improve the quality of the facilities and their environmental performance. The expansion has been designed with energy efficiency and sustainability in mind, to support more modern aircraft fleets using less polluting fuels.

"The investment is enormous in scope, because it affects absolutely every aspect of the airport's operations," the airport's director said.

The master plan also allows for space to be set aside for potential rail expansion, in view of the possible future arrival of high-speed trains and the connection to Marbella.

As for the northern access (the road link from the nearby Hiperronda), Aena has completed the section of the link that runs across airport land, while awaiting the Ministry of Transport to undertake the bulk of the new road to the second ring road.

This summer saw a notable increase in passenger numbers to the Middle East, despite the instability caused by the war in Iran. "We have expanded significantly in terms of routes and airlines, connecting Malaga with the whole world," Millanes said.

However, there are no new developments regarding two long-standing demands from the tourism sector: the year-round consolidation of the route to New York with United Airlines, which for the time being continues to operate only during the summer, and the route to China, which continues without a date.

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