The Balearic Islands are set to receive approximately €1.03 billion in airport investment between 2027 and 2031 under Spain's new Airport Regulation Document, DORA III.

The programme was approved by Spain's Council of Ministers on September 15 and will apply from January 1, 2027.

The investment covers the four airports in the Balearic network: Palma de Mallorca, Ibiza, Menorca and Son Bonet.

How the €1.03 billion is divided

The planned investment is divided between the four airports.

Palma de Mallorca will receive €621.6 million.

Ibiza Airport is allocated €229.7 million.

Menorca Airport will receive €170.7 million.

Son Bonet is allocated a further €7.9 million.

Together, the four airports account for more than €1 billion of investment during the five-year regulatory period.

What DORA III means for Ibiza

For Ibiza, the €229.7 million figure refers to the airport's total investment allocation under DORA III for 2027-2031.

It is important not to describe the entire €229.7 million as the cost of one single construction project.

Aena's separate remodelling programme includes changes to the terminal, passenger flows, security facilities, non-Schengen processing and other airport infrastructure.

Aena has said the Ibiza remodelling is intended to modernise the airport and adapt it to European regulatory requirements while improving operational processes and passenger experience.

Aena says the Ibiza project will not increase runway capacity

One of the most important points in the current debate is the distinction between terminal infrastructure and the airport's flight-field capacity.

Aena says none of the planned actions at Ibiza Airport will increase the number of take-offs and landings that can take place per hour because the capacity of the flight field is not being increased.

The company describes the project as a modernisation and adaptation of the existing airport infrastructure.

The planned works include changes to Schengen and non-Schengen passenger flows, centralised passport control, upgraded security equipment and a new area for inter-island flights.

Passenger numbers are forecast to increase

Despite Aena's position on runway capacity, DORA III contains higher traffic forecasts for the Balearic airports over the five-year period.

The three main airports in Mallorca, Ibiza and Menorca are forecast to handle a combined 47.72 million passengers in 2027 and 49.84 million in 2031.

For Ibiza Airport, the forecast rises from 9.17 million passengers in 2027 to 9.72 million in 2031.

These figures are forecasts included in the regulatory framework. They do not mean that the government guarantees that those passenger numbers will be reached.

Nearly €13 billion across Aena's Spanish network

DORA III establishes a much larger investment programme across Spain.

The Spanish Government has approved almost €13 billion of investment across the airport network managed by Aena between 2027 and 2031.

Of that amount, €9.991 billion is regulated investment directly associated with airport activity.

The remainder comes from Aena's non-regulated commercial activity.

The government's programme includes investment in terminal buildings, security, airport infrastructure, baggage systems, maintenance, intermodality and sustainability.

The investment is not being paid from the national budget

The Spanish Government says the DORA programme will be financed through the airport system itself rather than Spain's general state budget.

According to the government, regulated investment is supported by airport charges, while additional investment comes from Aena's commercial revenues.

The government has also said the new regulatory framework implies only a limited average increase in airport charges over the five-year period.

The Balearic Government has raised objections

The Balearic Government has expressed concern about linking major airport investment with higher passenger numbers.

In written comments sent to Aena before DORA III was approved, the Govern said investments in the islands should not be tied to increases in passenger traffic.

It proposed measures focused on areas including land transport, intermodality, accessibility, airport technology, climate adaptation, sustainability, inter-island travel and improving winter connectivity.

The Govern said none of those requests involved increasing the operational capacity of the Balearic airports.

Ibiza's institutions oppose an increase in capacity

The debate has become particularly intense in Ibiza.

The Consell d'Eivissa has said it supports investment needed to improve security, maintenance and passenger services but opposes an increase in airport capacity.

President Vicent Marí has argued that additional airport capacity would conflict with other measures adopted by the island's institutions to manage tourism and pressure on infrastructure.

The Consell has also called for greater participation by Balearic and island institutions in decisions concerning the airports.

These are institutional positions and do not alter the content of the DORA approved by the Spanish Government.

A wider political debate in the Balearics

The issue has also generated disagreement among different political parties in the islands.

Balearic President Marga Prohens has criticised the forecast of almost 50 million passengers across the three main airports in 2031 and has renewed calls for greater involvement by the islands in airport management.

Other parties and organisations have also opposed what they regard as plans for continued airport growth.

At the same time, the Spanish Government presents DORA III primarily as an investment and modernisation programme designed to maintain airport infrastructure and adapt it to future demand.

Ibiza's €229.7 million investment

The Ibiza allocation is therefore part of a much broader five-year investment framework.

Aena has previously described the Ibiza project as a major remodelling of the terminal area, including new infrastructure for non-Schengen passengers, upgraded security systems and changes intended to reduce congestion and improve passenger flows.

The company has also said the project will not increase the number of hourly take-offs and landings available at the airport.

That distinction is central to the current debate.

Why the numbers are causing concern

The controversy is partly driven by the combination of two facts appearing in the same regulatory framework.

On one side, DORA III provides substantial investment in airport infrastructure and contains forecasts for higher passenger traffic by 2031.

On the other, Aena says its Ibiza remodelling does not increase the airport's flight-field capacity, while the Balearic Government and Ibiza's institutions have asked that investment not be linked to greater passenger growth.

As a result, the disagreement is not simply about whether Ibiza needs investment.

It is about how that investment should be used and what role airport infrastructure should play as passenger demand evolves.

What the DORA forecasts show

The DORA passenger figures provide an official planning forecast rather than a limit or guarantee.

For Ibiza, the projected figure rises from 9.17 million passengers in 2027 to 9.72 million in 2031.

For Palma, the forecast rises to 35.67 million in 2031.

For Menorca, the figure reaches 4.45 million.

Together, those three airports are forecast to approach 49.84 million passenger movements in 2031.

The figures are used within the regulatory framework to help determine investment and airport charges.

The wider investment programme

Beyond the Balearics, DORA III includes €2.851 billion for terminal buildings and €937 million for flight-field infrastructure.

More than €1.65 billion is earmarked for security, while around €660 million is allocated to intermodality, decarbonisation and sustainability.

Almost €400 million is intended to improve baggage transport systems, with more than €3.24 billion going towards maintenance and conservation of the airport network.

The total regulated investment is €9.991 billion over the five-year period.

The programme begins in 2027

The new DORA framework was formally approved on September 15 and published in the Official State Gazette.

Its application begins on January 1, 2027, covering the regulatory period through the end of 2031.

For Ibiza, the coming years will therefore involve both substantial planned investment and continued debate over the future role and scale of the airport.

What happens next for Ibiza Airport

Aena's Ibiza remodelling programme remains in the development and procurement process.

The company has already tendered project-management services covering the preparation of projects, their subsequent tendering and construction and the eventual commissioning of the new facilities.

The airport's €229.7 million DORA allocation covers the wider five-year investment programme rather than representing a single construction contract.

The exact implementation of individual works will therefore take place over different stages.

A major investment with a continuing debate

The Balearic airport network is entering a new five-year investment cycle worth around €1.03 billion.

Ibiza's share is €229.7 million, while the DORA forecasts higher passenger traffic at the island's airport by 2031.

At the same time, Aena maintains that the Ibiza remodelling will not increase the airport's hourly take-off and landing capacity, and Balearic and Ibiza authorities have publicly argued against using investment to increase operational capacity.

The result is an ongoing debate over how to modernise Ibiza Airport while responding to passenger demand, maintaining connectivity and addressing the concerns expressed by island institutions about tourism pressure and infrastructure.