Barcelona will host the 32nd edition of World Routes in October 2027. As the aviation industry's leading international event, it will bring together up to 3,000 delegates, including senior decision-makers from airlines, airports, tourism authorities, and industry suppliers representing over 110 countries. World Routes is the premier global platform where future air services and route networks are planned and developed.

 

Ten years after the successful 2017 edition – when Barcelona hosted World Routes for the first time – Catalonia will once again welcome the event, with the aim of advancing its connectivity strategy, which combines Barcelona's international positioning with a complementary airport system, intermodal transport, and a development model designed to generate shared prosperity, with sustainability as an overarching principle.

 

Growth in Intercontinental Connectivity

Over the past decade, Barcelona–El Prat Airport has increased its number of direct intercontinental routes from 33 to 62, representing an 88% increase. This growth has consolidated the airport's position as one of Europe's fastest-growing hubs for long-haul connectivity and strengthened its role as Catalonia's international gateway.

Catalonia approaches this new edition of World Routes after more than two decades of institutional collaboration between the Government of Catalonia, Barcelona City Council, Aena, and the Barcelona Chamber of Commerce through the Barcelona Air Routes Development Committee (BARDC).

 

The hosting of World Routes 2027 is one of the flagship initiatives included in the BARDC's 2026–2030 Strategic Plan. The event represents a unique opportunity to accelerate the Committee's roadmap for expanding direct air services to key intercontinental markets, with particular focus on the Asia-Pacific region and the United States. Direct connectivity is a fundamental driver of Catalonia's international competitiveness, supporting the knowledge economy, innovation, foreign investment, and talent attraction and retention.

 

Currently, over 5.3 million passengers travel between Catalonia and international markets via connecting flights, demonstrating strong underlying demand that supports the development of new direct air services. The greatest untapped potential lies in the United States (1.5 million unserved origin-and-destination passengers); the Asia-Pacific region (593,000); China, Hong Kong and Taiwan (405,000); South America (314,000); and Japan (305,000).

 

This connectivity is essential to the internationalization of Catalan businesses and to strengthening the region's knowledge-based and innovation-driven economy. According to an economic impact study conducted by the University of Barcelona and the Barcelona Chamber of Commerce, Josep Tarradellas Barcelona–El Prat Airport generates 6.8% of Catalonia's GDP and supports more than 218,000 jobs. Its economic impact extends well beyond airport operations, benefiting key sectors such as tourism, logistics, international trade, and research.

 

Barcelona is also Spain's leading destination for international congresses, having hosted 166 international meetings, ranking third worldwide according to the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) 2025. This leadership further strengthens Catalonia's international position as a hub for the knowledge economy, innovation, foreign investment, and talent attraction. The MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions) sector accounts for around 20% of the city's visitors and plays a key role in reducing the seasonality of tourism.

By hosting World Routes 2027, Catalonia will further enhance its international profile and reinforce a connectivity strategy that supports competitiveness, territorial cohesion, and sustainable economic development. Beyond attracting new air services and strengthening existing ones, the objective is to consolidate a development model that delivers greater economic, social, and territorial value for Catalonia as a whole.

 

Quotes

Manel Nadal, Secretary for Mobility and Infrastructure

"Events like World Routes serve as a springboard for developing new air links to destinations across Asia. The meetings held during the event allow us to promote both Barcelona and Catalonia in markets where we do not yet have direct air connections. Welcoming representatives from these cities and airlines to Barcelona is undoubtedly of great importance to the work we are carrying out."

Raquel Gil, Deputy Mayor for Social Rights, Economic Promotion, Employment, Feminism, and Democratic Memory, Barcelona City Council

"Hosting World Routes 2027 in Barcelona represents a new opportunity to attract more businesses that create high-quality employment with better working conditions for the people of our city. It will also help strengthen intercontinental connectivity, reinforcing Barcelona's strategy of economic diversification and its commitment to high value-added economic activity."

Arantxa Calvera, Director of the Catalan Tourist Board

"International connectivity is a key driver in the transition from a volume-based tourism model to one focused on value. It enables us to attract more environmentally aware travelers and strengthen high value-added activities, such as international congresses, which generate shared prosperity across the whole of Catalonia."

Steven Small, Vice President, Air Transport Events

"Barcelona's hosting of World Routes in 2017 was a record-breaking event for Routes, and we are delighted to bring the event back to such a dynamic destination. Our decision was based on Barcelona's strong strategic vision to attract higher-value air services that deliver greater and more sustainable economic benefits for both the city and Catalonia."

Eva Valenzuela, Director of Josep Tarradellas Barcelona–El Prat Airport

"The connectivity provided by Josep Tarradellas Barcelona–El Prat Airport delivers direct benefits to the people of Catalonia: nearly one in two passengers is a Catalan resident. This reinforces the airport's role as a strategic infrastructure asset for mobility, competitiveness, and the international projection of our country."

Josep Santacreu, President of the Barcelona Chamber of Commerce

"It is excellent news that Barcelona will once again become the international capital of the aviation industry. Our city is home to one of Europe's best-connected airports and is actively expanding its air network, with particular focus on intercontinental routes. Events such as World Routes, together with the work of organizations like the Barcelona Air Routes Development Committee (BARDC), help strengthen Barcelona's position as a global destination for business, knowledge, investment, and innovation."

 

 

 

From left to right: Jordi Candela, Director of Catalonia Airports; Jaume Baró, Secretary for Business and Competitiveness; Steven Small, Vice President of Air Transport Events at Informa; Eva Valenzuela, Director of Josep Tarradellas Barcelona–El Prat Airport; Miquel Rodríguez, Economic Promotion Manager at Barcelona City Council; and Arantxa Calvera, Director of the Catalan Tourism Board.

 

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