Balearic Islands President Marga Prohens has criticised the passenger forecasts included in the new airport regulatory plan, saying she is concerned by the prospect of the three main airports in the Balearics handling almost 50 million passengers annually by 2031.

The comments came on September 16, one day after Spain's Council of Ministers approved the Third Airport Regulatory Document, DORA III, covering the 2027-2031 period. The plan includes more than €1 billion of investment across the Balearic Islands.

49.84 Million Passengers Forecast for 2031

The DORA III traffic forecasts put the combined annual passenger figure for Palma, Ibiza and Menorca at 49.84 million in 2031.

The comparable forecast for 2027 is 47.72 million, meaning the document anticipates an increase of 2.12 million passengers a year over the four-year period.

The figures are forecasts used for airport planning, not a guarantee that this number of passengers will actually travel through the islands in 2031.

Ibiza Forecast to Reach 9.72 Million

Ibiza Airport is forecast to handle 9.72 million passengers in 2031, compared with 9.17 million in the 2027 forecast.

That represents an increase of approximately 550,000 passenger movements a year.

Palma is forecast to increase from 34.27 million to 35.67 million, while Menorca is projected to rise from 4.28 million to 4.45 million.

The three figures together produce the 49.84 million total.

More Than €1 Billion of Investment in the Balearics

DORA III provides for €1.03 billion of investment in the Balearic airport network between 2027 and 2031.

The planned allocation is approximately €621.6 million for Palma, €229.7 million for Ibiza, €170.7 million for Menorca and €7.9 million for Son Bonet.

Across the entire Aena network in Spain, the regulatory plan involves almost €13 billion of investment during the same period. The Spanish Government says the wider programme is intended to improve infrastructure, passenger processing, security, accessibility and airport capacity in response to expected demand.

Prohens Says the Figure Conflicts With the Govern's Policy

Speaking in Petra on September 16, Prohens described the 2031 forecast as a figure that "asusta", or "is scary".

She argued that the forecast conflicts with the Balearic Government's stated policy of containing tourism pressure. She pointed to measures including limits on tourist accommodation capacity, an agreement intended to reduce cruise passenger numbers and the prohibition of new tourist rental places in residential properties.

These are the president's political assessments of the implications of the DORA III forecast.

Govern Says It Was Not Consulted

Prohens also said the Balearic Government was not consulted about the passenger forecasts, the DORA III document or the planned airport investments before they were approved.

She said her government learned about the forecasts through media reports and argued that the State's airport planning does not correspond with the regional government's approach to tourism containment.

The Spanish Government's position is that DORA III establishes the regulatory and investment framework for the national airport network, with investment financed through the airport system rather than directly from the State budget.

Aena's Planning Includes Ibiza Airport

The Ibiza airport project forms part of the wider investment programme rather than being an isolated initiative.

Aena has previously described the planned work at Ibiza as a remodelling project involving passenger-flow improvements, new infrastructure for non-Schengen traffic and additional boarding gates, while saying the changes are necessary to adapt the terminal to new European requirements.

The disagreement concerns partly what the infrastructure means for future tourism and passenger growth.

The Wider Debate Over Airport Governance

Prohens used the latest figures to renew her call for greater involvement by the Balearic Islands in the management of the airports.

She argued that the proposal for co-management of the islands' airports "has more sense than ever" in light of the DORA III forecasts. The corresponding legislative initiative is currently being processed in the Spanish Congress after being presented by the Balearic Parliament in May 2026.

The proposed law would seek a greater role for the Balearic institutions in decisions affecting the airports of general interest in the islands.

Political Disagreement Intensifies

Prohens also criticised the Spanish Government and the PSOE over what she described as an inconsistency between political calls for limits on tourism and the passenger-growth scenario contained in DORA III.

Those comments form part of the political debate surrounding the airport plan and do not alter the underlying figures contained in the regulatory document.

The DORA III forecasts themselves show a projected increase from 47.72 million passengers across Palma, Ibiza and Menorca in 2027 to 49.84 million in 2031.

Ibiza at the Centre of the Discussion

The figures arrive at a particularly significant moment for Ibiza, where airport development, tourism pressure and the island's ability to manage peak-season demand have become increasingly prominent public issues.

Ibiza's own forecast under DORA III rises by around 550,000 passenger movements between 2027 and 2031, while the airport is already operating at historically high levels. In August 2026 alone, Ibiza Airport recorded 1,519,201 passenger movements, a 2.5% increase on August 2025.

For the Balearic Government, the new DORA III forecast has therefore reopened the question of how airport investment should be balanced with its stated objective of managing tourism and population pressure.

The debate is now expected to continue in the Balearic Parliament and Spanish Congress as the 2027-2031 airport framework moves into its implementation period.