Amid new border rules and record tourism levels, Spain's state operator is planning to limit air passengers at peak times in order to ensure long-term capacity and infrastructure demands.
Madrid and Barcelona airports are set to partially cap passenger numbers in 2027 ahead of planned renovations at Spain's two major air travel hubs.
The limits would be on arrivals terminals during the summer season, meaning that passenger flows can be better optimised at peak hours.
This comes as the country's two largest airports, Madrid-Barajas and Barcelona-El Prat, are nearing their capacity and terminals can no longer keep up with the growing number of seats being offered by airlines.
Madrid-Barajas received some 68.18 million passengers last year, out of a capacity of 70 million, whilst El Prat exceeded its capacity limit of 55 million, serving 57.5 million passengers in 2025.
