This Friday marks the start of the August holiday getaway operation in Catalonia, coinciding with July 31st falling on a Friday. The Servei Català de Trànsit (SCT) forecasts that between this Friday and Saturday, approximately 570,000 vehicles will depart from the Barcelona area. On Sunday, around 250,000 are expected to return.
Despite these figures, the SCT dismisses the possibility of a "mass exodus" concentrated on these days, anticipating a "high" but "typical" mobility scenario for summer weekends, even slightly lower than other weekends during the same period.
Barcelona-El Prat Airport anticipates operating 3,332 flights during the August getaway operation, a 4.7% increase compared to last year. Friday is projected to be the busiest day with an estimated 1,142 flights. Saturday expects 1,085, and Sunday 1,105. Aena attributes part of this rise to tensions in the Strait of Hormuz, which are temporarily diverting air traffic towards Spain as a "safe tourist destination," and to disruptions in rail transport.
Regarding trains, Renfe has scheduled nearly 124,400 high-speed and long-distance seats originating from or destined for Catalonia for the four days of the getaway operation (Thursday to Sunday). The Figueres-Barcelona-Zaragoza-Madrid corridor offers the most capacity, with 45,800 seats.
This weekend coincides with a nationwide strike by the Sindicat Ferroviari-Intersindical, which could affect the frequency of Rodalies (commuter rail) services. According to the minimum service order from the Departament d'Empresa i Treball, 66% of services will be guaranteed during peak hours and 33% at other times.
