Aena denies expanding Son Sant Joan, but adds meters and walkways

PalmAena has already completed 70% of the Son Sant Joan airport renovation. With an investment of over 400 million euros, this is the most significant project undertaken at this key hub for mobility and tourism in the Balearic Islands. Arriving by road at the main terminal, it's easy to see how the number of walkways is increasing considerably (fingersto access the aircraft. It's hard not to conclude that this is an expansion, but Aena has denied for years that these actions constitute one, always referring to the improvement of passenger comfort.

Regarding the increase in jetways, Aena responded to ARA Baleares that "they do not involve the creation of new additional parking spaces, but rather replace the existing remote spaces for direct connections [with jetways] and improve service and sustainability." With an intervention covering 200,000 square meters –the jetways, the modernization and redistribution of modules A and D, an increase of up to 19 security arches and 38 security screening lanes, new routes and passenger flows–, the question is simple: Is Son Sant Joan's capacity really being expanded? Aena remains inflexible and rejects this idea: "The maximum operational capacity remains at 66 operations per hour (33 arrivals and 33 departures), a figure that has remained unchanged for more than 30 years. The remodeling project does not foresee, under any circumstances, an increase," the company states. But, if more space and more jetways are available for boarding and disembarking passengers, and if we consider that the airport reached its total passenger limit (33.8 million) in 2025 according to Aena's forecasts, is such a significant investment being made simply for comfort? "The data contradicts Aena. Sant Joan Airport has never stopped growing, except during the pandemic, and is on its way to 35 million passengers," criticizes Joana Maria Seguí, Professor of Human Geography at the University of the Balearic Islands (UIB).

This mobility expert has been studying airport figures for years and points out that today Aena is exceeding in the Balearic Islands "even the most optimistic projections made by the agency's management in the Airport Planning and Regulation Document (DORA)." "The three airports in the Islands handled 47 million passengers in 2025. We're heading towards 50 million travelers, without them seeming concerned about the impact this volume will have on the region," she notes.

Unstoppable growth

The Balearic Islands' airports have experienced sustained passenger growth in recent years and are nearing their maximum capacity limits. Palma recorded 28.6 million passengers in 2022, a figure that rose to 31.1 million in 2023 and 33.3 million in 2024. In 2025, the number reached 33.8 million. Ibiza and Menorca have also seen significant increases, with 9.14 million and 4.21 million passengers, respectively, in 2025. The three airports combined handled 47.15 million passengers last year, an increase of more than 16% in just three years. This growth highlights the pressure on the infrastructure and has forced Aena to implement improvements to accommodate the ever-increasing number of passengers, which has pushed the capacity of the islands' airport facilities to the limit. "In Menorca, we experience excessive pressure during the summer months, and for this reason, Aena is preparing new works starting in 2027," explains Ramon Carreras, the CCOO union representative at Menorca Airport. Although the official political discourse is that the number of tourists isn't increasing significantly during the summer months, the reality is that Palma Airport saw a 1.7% increase in passenger numbers in June, a 0.1% decrease in July, and experienced 2.4% more passengers in August than at Palma Airport. In one year, Son Sant Joan Airport has handled half a million more passengers. There is a certain public consensus on the need to avoid increasing the number of tourists. In recent months, members of Marga Prohens's government and hotel owners themselves have been talking about increasing the value of tourism rather than simply increasing the numbers. But it seems as if this political and public debate is completely nonexistent for the corporate giants, like Aena, that control the flow of people. "We have a serious governance problem. Aena is a company that is 51% state-owned, but it's clear that it's managed solely according to economic criteria and private profitability. It's very difficult to get managers to consider the consequences of a model based on hiring more and more people every year," laments Joana Maria Seguí.

"It's interesting to observe the Port Authority model, which is also state-run. The State also appoints the president for each region, but at the proposal of the regional government. Furthermore, there is a board of directors with participation from island-level institutions. Aena has monitoring committees that aren't functioning, and this situation needs to be rectified to connect a public company with the interests of the citizens." "Europe is full of much more decentralized airport management models, and there's no excuse if we want to regulate the gateways to the Islands," he adds.

A comprehensive overhaul

The work carried out by Aena is practically comprehensive. The renovation of Module A was completed in 2024 with improvements such as the installation of floor-to-ceiling windows, the renovation of restrooms, and the modernization of passport control areas. The expansion on the west side added three boarding bridges. According to Aena, access to the module has been improved by installing new walkways connecting the terminal building to the central area. Two additional walkways are planned for the east side of the module and are expected to be completed by the end of this year. Regarding Module D, a new central access point was opened, reducing passenger travel distances. During the winter season, three new walkways were installed, which will be operational in the summer and will allow direct access to aircraft without the need for a bus. The check-in area is being reorganized "to create a clearer and more efficient space, with more counters and the relocation of shops and cafes," explains Aena, while a vertical core is being built connecting arrivals, check-in, and departures with the parking garage. An elevated walkway has been constructed connecting the parking garage to the terminal across three levels, reducing "external traffic and improving flow." Although these improvements increase the terminal's effective capacity, Aena insists that "they do not involve the creation of additional parking spaces."