Shopping centers with runways: the islands' airports have 11,500 m² dedicated to shops.

PalmBetween 2000 and 2024, passenger traffic through the three Balearic airports increased by approximately 74.5%, going from 26.67 million travelers to 46.54 million. Few businesses see their number of potential customers almost double, and Aena has not hesitated to expand the surface area and commercial activity to obtain maximum performance at the airports. Travel is now only one part of the business because "we're actually looking at shopping centers," says economist Aleix Calveres.

This strategy has led Aena to manage between 80,000 and 100,000 m2 of commercial and sales space throughout the Spanish airport network. The majority of this space is for shops. duty-free, with a surface area of over 66,000 m² for this type of establishment alone, with undeniable profitability.

In the case of the Islands, Palma Airport has 8,779 m² of shops; Ibiza 2,099, and Menorca 645. In total, 11,524 m² are dedicated to sales. "When you're in an airport, you have the feeling of being led through a department store, oriented toward consumption and business," says Calveras. This approach "generates a double motivation for the company, which, let's not forget, is a public company, to increase passenger numbers. The more people come, the more business for airport taxes and more revenue for this commercial pressure," he states.

Vicenç Vidal, a member of the Sumar Més party, believes that "a shared management model with the State by the autonomous communities would allow for a better definition of the revenue approach, as well as allowing the Balearic Islands to retain part of the revenue collected from the airports." "Better services could be offered to passengers, with a greater focus on their well-being and not just on taking money from their pockets, taking advantage of the fact that they have no alternative but to spend hours inside the establishment."

The most repeated criticisms of Aena's business model are, in addition to airport taxes—which are criticized by airline operators—"the obsession with invoicing, with making money, sacrificing public spaces, rest areas, and filling them with expensive fast food," insists Vicenç Vidal. According to Calveres, it would be desirable to "encourage greater transparency in this company, which is 51% publicly owned, with its executives appearing before the regional parliament." In this way, it would be possible to "be accountable for the impacts of its model to representatives of the public," the economist proposes.

Criticism of Aena's excessive commercial orientation shows that the company prioritizes economic profit over passenger service and working conditions. This situation has also generated a debate about the balance between economic profitability and service quality at airports, especially in the context of protests by workers at companies that provide services at airport facilities. Unions have criticized the company for working and safety conditions at airports, especially during the renovation work at Palma Airport. The inconsistency between Aena's multi-million-dollar profits and the precarious conditions of some subcontracted workers has been highlighted.

Global Companies

Although there are examples of local businesses, such as Horno del Santo Cristo, specializing in Balearic Islands food, located at the Son Sant Joan departure terminal, the reality is that local products are an exception. The bars and restaurants operating at the three airports are operated by global companies offering products and services without any island identity. However, some items with an island touch can be purchased in the shops.