Flight prices set to rise as ten-year freeze on airport fees in Spain ends in 2026

Spain's national markets and competition commission (CNMC) has slightly reduced Aena's request to increase the fees it charges airlines for use of its airports across the country. The increase was lowered from the 6.62% approved by the airport operator's board of directors at its July meeting to 6.44%, as decreed by the CNMC on Thursday. This difference of only two-tenths of a percentage point means in practice that airlines will have to pay 6.44% more to Aena in 2026 after a decade of the fee staying frozen.

The competition authority's slight amendment stems from Aena's upward revision of its air traffic forecasts for next year. The CNMC disagrees with Aena's estimate of 323.2 million passengers for 2026, raising it to 334.3 million passengers. This revision modifies the calculation of authorised revenue and justifies the final reduction in the IMAAJ, which is the maximum annual rate of revenue that can be charged to each passenger. The CNMC has set IMAAJ at 11.02 euros, compared to Aena's proposed 11.03 euros.

This fee increase breaks with a ten-year price freeze imposed on airlines for operating in Spain's airport network. Therefore, since the fee is passed on in full to passengers, airfares will rise in 2026. Even so, the increase will be very slight for passengers. To be precise, the rise will be from the current 10.35 euros per person, to 11.02 euros, just 67 cents per trip.

Aena has always maintained that the increase is necessary to recover from inflation that has been building up since 2014 and to finance an airports investment plan exceeding nine billion euros through to 2031. However, the airlines are very unhappy. The association representing airlines in Spain, ALA, has categorically rejected the increase, arguing that "the upward revision of traffic estimates should facilitate moderating fees in the immediate future". According to ALA, "current traffic levels and the level of efficiency achieved by Aena should allow for further tariff reductions during DORA III [the official document that regulates airport growth and development across Spain] without abandoning the investments already announced".

Airport fees are the charges that Aena levies on airlines for using its terminals, runways, gangways and security checkpoints, so they impact the price of airline tickets. The CNMC is responsible for overseeing Aena's fee proposals and ensuring they comply with the legal framework.

In the last decade (2015-2025), there has been a legal restriction in place limiting fee increases, which will cease to apply in 2026. The CNMC has approved Aena's proposal whereby, on average, this particular fee will increase by 6.44% compared to 2025.

During the regulatory periods 2017-2021 and 2022-2025, this fee remained stable or decreased from one year to the next, except from 2023 to 2024, when they rose by 4.09%, following approval by central government's council of senior ministers of a 3.5% P-index [the economic index that assesses the price to risk ratio].