BARDC Presents the 2030 Strategic Plan to Consolidate Barcelona as a High Value-Added Intercontinental Hub
Marking its 20th anniversary, the Barcelona Air Route Development Committee is launching a new shared strategic plan aimed at prioritising key markets, enhancing the quality of demand, and unlocking new long-haul connectivity opportunities.
Barcelona, 1 June 2026. – The Barcelona Air Route Development Committee (BARDC) today presented its new 2030 Strategic Plan at Barcelona City Hall, setting out the priorities for the coming years to strengthen the intercontinental connectivity of Barcelona and Catalonia in an increasingly competitive global environment.
The document redefines the Committee’s mission and commits to value-oriented connectivity: routes with economic, business, scientific, technological, and cultural impact; aligned with the strategic needs of the territory, and supported by more diversified, stable year-round demand.
Twenty Years Driving Barcelona’s International Connectivity
Since its establishment in 2005, the BARDC has contributed to transforming Barcelona Airport into a leading international gateway. Over two decades, Barcelona has grown from 1 million intercontinental passengers and 17 intercontinental destinations to nearly 8 million intercontinental passengers and 59 destinations.
During the same period, the airport has gone from handling 27.2 million annual passengers to 57.5 million, alongside the strengthening of Barcelona and Catalonia’s economic, technological, trade fair, and tourism ecosystem.
This leap has been accompanied by a change in model: from connectivity that was more dependent on European hubs and a limited number of traditional airlines to a more diversified, international network focused on high value-added segments.
A New Mission for Higher-Value Connectivity
The 2030 Strategic Plan establishes as its core objective the consolidation of Barcelona as a high value-added intercontinental connectivity hub, prioritizing markets and routes that strengthen the international positioning of the city and the country.
The roadmap establishes two major priorities: consolidating Barcelona as an intercontinental hub with more airlines and destinations by prioritizing strategic connections for the territory; and enhancing demand quality through greater seasonality balance and increased flight frequencies.
The analysis carried out by the BARDC identifies that, despite growth in direct connectivity, indirect intercontinental demand is also increasing, reaching 5.3 million O&D passengers (2025). This potential is particularly concentrated in markets such as Asia-Pacific, China, Japan, India, North America, and Latin America.
Among the priority unserved routes are Tokyo, Delhi, and Bangkok, together with other opportunities such as Houston, Orlando, Manila, Lima, and Lahore, based on a combination of demand, strategic interest, and development potential.
Beyond the priority routes, the BARDC Strategic Plan identifies more than 70 unserved routes that are strategic for the territory and have demand potential: after 20 years, there is still a need for more BARDC.
The BARDC considers that Barcelona has the necessary assets to embark on a new stage of qualitative growth: a consolidated MICE ecosystem, excellent services, a dynamic business and technology network, talent attraction capacity, and a recognized international profile.
About the BARDC:
The Barcelona Air Route Development Committee (CDRA) was established in 2005 with the objective of promoting new intercontinental routes from Barcelona Airport. Its members include the Government of Catalonia, Barcelona City Council, the Barcelona Chamber of Commerce, and Aena.
