Aena earns 120 million annually in the Balearic Islands from bars, shops, and advertising.

PalmCoffee with milk and a croissant, the kind that falls apart because it's frozen for the hospitality industry, 6.5 euros. Omelette sandwich, beer, and coffee, 28 euros. The State. "It's shameful to pay this much for a coffee and pastry. It makes me so angry that, if I can avoid it, I don't eat anything. But you can't always. I travel practically every week, and sometimes, on the way back, you have no choice," explains Marta Riera, an executive at Joan.

These prices, in addition to generating in consumers like Riera a feeling of having been robbed by a company that still has 51% public shareholding, generate a significant profit for Aena. The state-owned company and the specific information provided by Aena in the ARABalears survey.

Palma has a record that confirms the importance of the restaurant business at Aena airports: on May 8 of this year, it opened a new McDonald's restaurant in module A, with 1,000 m² of surface area and 40 digital self-service checkout screens—the largest of the company's restaurants. The opening had created 200 jobs. The establishment is part of the renovation of module A to modernize the terminal and expand the commercial space.

On April 9, 2025, Lagardère Travel Retail opened a gourmet restaurant in Module C called Reserva Ibérica, specializing in Iberian cured meats, cheeses, and wines with a tasting area. "The airport model they're developing is very clear: have a lot of people inside, the more the better. It's the call for large restaurant companies to launch all kinds of services. Of course, paying very high rents to Aena," explains UIB economist Aleix Calveres.

According to the company's data, the first quarter of 2025 generated more than €82 million in rental revenue for bars and restaurants across Spain. If the trend continues, Aena could end 2025 with revenues of €330 million from this concept.

The large supermarket

But Aena doesn't rely on bars and restaurants alone. Its main business, beyond airport taxes, is retail. In the first quarter of 2025, it had already generated revenues of more than €150 million nationwide, which will exceed €600 million by the end of the year. In the Balearic Islands, revenues are more than €70 million annually. The revenue generated by duty-free shops, both nationwide and in the Balearic Islands, is particularly noteworthy. With 8,672 m2 dedicated exclusively to the so-called "tax-free" stores, the company boasts a total of 8,672 m2. duty-free, represent 75% of the total revenue collected in the Islands.

Vicenç Vidal, a member of the Sumar Més party, has questioned state representatives on several occasions about Aena's management model. He believes there has been an excessive commercialization of the airports, and, above all, "without the Islands getting anything in return." "Aena's model is completely extractive, and unfortunately, you pay very high prices in bars and restaurants to pad their bottom line without giving the island institutions any opportunity to intervene, influence, or at the very least, participate. When we've spoken with the PSOE (Spanish Socialist Workers' Party) or the PP (People's Party) about the issue, it's always the same old story, but the opposition says it's a huge boon for the State," he laments.

27 million for advertising in the Islands

In addition to offering more and more spaces to buy gifts, clothes, or eat and drink, the islands' airports are also a major advertising platform. The more than 30 million passengers are a very attractive audience for large companies, which have gradually filled the spaces with the highest traffic. "The moment that seems most intense is when you arrive, in the case of Son Sant Joan, for example, more than when you board. In the baggage claim area, or when you walk to the parking lot, it's truly full of advertising impacts, nothing like how it was a few years ago. Aena is selling every square meter of its space across the country and is especially aggressive," admits a managing partner of a large communications and advertising firm based in Madrid, who asks not to be identified because he has a "direct relationship."

Advertising for the island's airports will be managed until 2026 by the Temporary Joint Venture (UTE), formed by New Business Media and CECO Shopping Centers. It was awarded a seven-year contract for €27.4 million, almost €4 per year. This is a guaranteed income for the airport company every 12 months. It will receive it regardless of the revenue generated by the joint venture. This year, Aena has already bid for the new contract.

The prices paid by advertising companies are not affordable for everyone. Broadcasting a spot on the large 7x3 meter screen in arrivals has a monthly cost of 13,425 euros, already including the 25% discount. All these prices are from June, as they still increase slightly in July and August.

1.78 billion came from renting space for bars, restaurants, shops, and advertising. The remainder comes mainly from airport tax revenue, the company's main source of income. Mauricio Lucena highlighted the "diversified model" of a very profitable business, which he defined as "efficient and cash-generating."