Ibiza Airport is set for a major internal renovation from 2030, but Aena says the project will not increase the number of take-offs and landings that the airport can currently handle each hour.

At the same time, Ibiza can continue to improve its air connectivity by encouraging new routes and strengthening existing connections, particularly during periods when airport capacity is available.

The distinction is important because improving connectivity does not necessarily mean increasing the maximum number of aircraft movements during the busiest hours of the day.

Aena Will Keep the 28-Movement Operational Limit

Aena has confirmed that the airport's operational capacity will remain at 28 movements per hour following the planned renovation.

The airport operator told La Voz de Ibiza that the works are intended to modernise the infrastructure and adapt it to new European safety requirements, rather than increase the airport's operational capacity.

A movement refers to an aircraft take-off or landing.

The 28-movement figure is particularly relevant to the way flights are programmed during periods of high demand. Maintaining this limit means the renovation itself will not create additional hourly flight slots at the busiest times.

Why Does DORA List 40 Aircraft Per Hour?

There is an important technical distinction in the newly approved DORA 2027-2031.

The official document lists Ibiza Airport's field-of-flights capacity at 40 aircraft per hour, with platform capacity at 45 aircraft per hour and passenger-terminal capacity at 4,400 passengers per hour. It also gives the airport an annual capacity reference of 10 million passengers.

This does not mean Aena is planning to schedule 40 movements per hour at Ibiza.

DORA defines field-of-flights capacity as the maximum number of operations per hour that the operator can manage while maintaining acceptable levels of delay. The operational figure used for flight coordination can be lower because additional restrictions and conditions affect how many slots can actually be made available to airlines.

That is why the two figures should not be presented as competing claims.

40 aircraft movements per hour is the capacity parameter recorded in DORA.

28 movements per hour is the operational figure Aena says will continue to apply following the renovation.

New Routes Can Still Be Added

Keeping the hourly limit does not prevent Ibiza from gaining new air connections.

A new route can operate during a period when capacity is available, replace an existing frequency, or be scheduled outside the busiest periods.

Aena can also continue using commercial incentives designed to encourage airlines to open new routes or strengthen existing connections. DORA 2027-2031 maintains this possibility for the five-year regulatory period.

Ibiza already participates in Aena's commercial incentive programmes, including measures designed to encourage connectivity during the winter season and help reduce the airport's strong seasonal concentration.

This means the island could potentially gain additional destinations without increasing the maximum number of aircraft movements permitted during the busiest periods.

The Airport Is Being Redesigned for the Traffic It Already Handles

The renovation is substantial even though the hourly flight limit is not being increased.

Aena's project responds in part to new European requirements governing border controls and the separation of Schengen and non-Schengen passenger flows.

The existing terminal cannot continue operating indefinitely with the same flexible use of gates because the new requirements require greater separation between different passenger flows.

The project therefore involves a major reorganisation of the terminal.

Among the planned improvements are:

• Increasing the number of boarding gates from 17 to 32

• Adding eight new passenger boarding bridges

• Creating a dedicated area for inter-island flights

• Introducing new-generation security screening equipment

• Centralising passport controls

• Reorganising passenger routes through the terminal

• Improving accessibility and operational processes.

Aena has explained that the additional gates are not equivalent to an increase in the number of flights the airport can handle each hour. Some of the additional infrastructure is necessary because gates that currently have greater flexibility of use will have to be separated according to passenger flows under the new European requirements.

The Renovation Is Scheduled From 2030

The project is included in the DORA 2027-2031 investment programme.

The official DORA documentation identifies the Ibiza project as the adaptation of the terminal building to new regulations, with construction scheduled to begin in April 2032 and completion programmed for December 2035 in the regulatory investment timetable.

Aena has previously described the project as one that is expected to begin from 2030, so the precise timetable should be understood as subject to the development and execution of the project.

Passenger Numbers Are Expected to Continue Growing

The airport is preparing for continued passenger growth even without an increase in its formal annual capacity reference.

DORA forecasts Ibiza Airport traffic at approximately 9.17 million passengers in 2027, rising to approximately 9.72 million in 2031.

The airport's annual capacity reference remains at 10 million passengers.

That means the forecast for 2031 comes relatively close to the existing annual capacity reference without formally increasing it.

The distinction between annual passenger capacity and hourly aircraft movements is important. An airport can process more passengers over a year through changes in passenger flows, aircraft occupancy, scheduling patterns and operational efficiency without necessarily increasing its maximum number of aircraft movements during the busiest hour.

Ibiza Airport Continues to Handle Strong International Traffic

The latest operational figures underline the importance of Ibiza's international connections.

In August 2026, Ibiza Airport handled 1,519,201 passengers, an increase of 2.5% compared with August 2025. International passengers accounted for 1,010,154 of the month's total, with the United Kingdom, Italy, Germany, France and the Netherlands among the largest international markets.

For the first eight months of 2026, more than 6.7 million passengers had passed through the airport.

Aena's airport data also recorded 145 routes from Ibiza in 2025, compared with 146 in 2024 and 158 in 2019.

Connectivity and Capacity Are Two Different Questions

The debate surrounding the future of Ibiza Airport has increasingly focused on the difference between connectivity and capacity.

Connectivity concerns the destinations and air links available to the island.

Capacity concerns how many aircraft and passengers the airport's infrastructure and operating system can handle.

Aena's current position is that Ibiza can continue developing connectivity without increasing the 28-movement-per-hour operational figure that currently governs the airport's busiest periods.

The renovation is instead designed to modernise the terminal, meet new European safety and border-control requirements and improve the experience of passengers and airport users.

What the DORA Figures Show

The 40 and 28 figures should not be treated as contradictory. They measure different aspects of airport capacity, with the 28-movement figure referring to the operational limit Aena says will remain after the renovation.

Ibiza One Stop Accuracy Note

The key point is not that Ibiza Airport will be able to handle 40 flights per hour after the renovation. DORA 2027-2031 records 40 aircraft per hour as the airport's field-of-flights capacity parameter, while Aena has separately confirmed that the operational capacity will remain at 28 movements per hour.

The renovation is primarily intended to modernise the terminal, comply with new European safety and border-control requirements, improve passenger processing and address operational needs. Aena has explicitly said the works are not intended to increase the number of take-offs and landings currently possible per hour.

At the same time, Aena can continue using commercial incentives to encourage new routes and stronger connections. New connectivity does not automatically require a higher peak-hour movement limit because routes can be scheduled in available periods or replace existing frequencies.

DORA 2027-2031 was approved by the Council of Ministers on September 15, 2026, and applies from January 1, 2027.