The march, which began at the intersection of Passeig de Gràcia and Carrer Aragó and was scheduled to end at Plaça de Sant Jaume, included the participation of farmers from Baix Llobregat with their tractors and other local residents who arrived by bicycle. Under the slogan "No to the expansion, not now, not ever," ten columns were organized from different city neighborhoods and metropolitan area towns.
This protest comes five years after a similar mobilization and just after the Spanish government approved DORA III, the airport investment plan. This plan allocates over 1.7 billion euros to El Prat airport, primarily for improving terminals T1 and T2 and their parking facilities. Although it earmarks nearly 192 million for preliminary procedures for a potential expansion, construction would not begin, if undertaken, until after 2031.
“"The governments of the Generalitat and the State, and Aena, engage in climate denial and act irresponsibly when they blindly defend the airport's expansion."
Zeroport believes that an airport expansion would have consequences extending beyond the "loss of biodiversity" and the "destruction of the Llobregat delta." According to the platform, it would reinforce an economic model focused on tourism in an already saturated metropolitan area, exacerbating housing access issues and affecting social cohesion.
Clàudia Custodio, also a member of Zeroport, expressed the aspiration to replicate the social mobilization from five years ago, which successfully halted the expansion. "Knowing that the expansion had already been stopped, we expressed that it would likely need to be done again later," Custodio recalled.
The issue of expansion continues to create division in Catalonia. While environmental organizations and groups seeking to limit mass tourism oppose it, most business associations and economic entities support it. The Barcelona Chamber of Commerce and the College of Economists of Catalonia have reiterated their pro-expansion stance, arguing that the current infrastructure limits economic competitiveness.
The controversy is also reflected in the Spanish government. The Minister of Transport, Óscar Puente, indicated that the expansion would be addressed in the next investment plan if the European Union gave it environmental approval. In contrast, the Minister of Culture, Ernest Urtasun, expressed opposition to a "runaway growth model" that further strains Barcelona. ERC leader Oriol Junqueras also criticized the announcements in the DORA III plan.
