185 Madrid Barajas Airport Statistics for 2026

How many passengers use Madrid-Barajas each year?

Madrid-Barajas is Spain's busiest airport, and it set a passenger record in 2024 and again in 2025. Traffic fell for three years after 2010, grew every year from 2014 to 2019, and dropped by almost three quarters in the first year of the pandemic.

View data table

Passengers at Madrid-Barajas each year, in millions, on Aena's final count of arrivals and departures. Each year comes from the release for that year; the link is to the latest one.

Period	Value
2010	49.9m
2011	49.7m
2012	45.2m
2013	39.7m
2014	41.8m
2015	46.8m
2016	50.4m
2017	53.4m
2018	57.9m
2019	61.7m
2020	17.1m
2021	24.1m
2022	50.6m
2023	60.2m
2024	66.2m
2025	68.2m

• Madrid-Barajas handled 49,866,113 passengers in 2010, up 3.0% on 2009. (Aena (2010 annual traffic report), 2010)
• Passengers fell 0.4% to 49,671,270 in 2011. (Aena (2011 annual traffic report), 2011)
• Passengers fell 9.0% to 45,190,528 in 2012. (Aena (2012 annual traffic report), 2012)
• They fell 12.1% to 39,735,618 in 2013, the lowest total from 2010 to 2019. (Aena (2013 annual traffic report), 2013)
• Traffic recovered by 5.3% to 41,833,686 passengers in 2014. (Aena (2014 annual traffic report), 2014)
• Passengers rose 11.9% to 46,824,838 in 2015. (Aena (2015 annual traffic report), 2015)
• They rose 7.7% to 50,418,909 in 2016. (Aena (2016 annual traffic report), 2016)
• They rose 5.9% to 53,400,844 in 2017. (Aena (2017 annual traffic report), 2017)
• They rose 8.4% to 57,890,057 in 2018. (Aena (2018 annual traffic report), 2018)
• They rose 6.6% to 61,734,944 in 2019, the record before the pandemic. (Aena (2019 annual traffic report), 2019)
• Passengers fell 72.3% to 17,112,246 in 2020, the lowest year in the series. (Aena (2020 annual traffic report), 2020)
• In April 2020 Madrid-Barajas handled just 46,716 passengers, 99.1% fewer than in April 2019, and 2,511 aircraft movements, down 92.8%; cargo fell 59.1% to 18,075,314 kg. (Aena (Apr 2020 traffic report), Apr 2020)
• Passengers rose 41.0% to 24,135,039 in 2021, still 60.9% below 2019. (Aena (2021 annual traffic report), 2021)
• They rose 109.8% to 50,633,759 in 2022, 18.0% below 2019. (Aena (2022 annual traffic report), 2022)
• They rose 18.9% to 60,221,163 in 2023, 2.5% below 2019. (Aena (2023 annual traffic report), 2023)
• They rose 9.9% to 66,197,066 in 2024, a new record and 7.2% above 2019. (Aena (2024 annual traffic report), 2024)

Aena counts passengers arriving and departing on all flights, and its annual reports give final figures. Aena's January 2026 press release gave a provisional 2025 total that differs slightly from the final report; this page uses the final report. Eurostat, ACI World and ACI EUROPE count on their own rules and appear in the rankings section with their own labels, not in this series.

How busy is Madrid-Barajas in 2026?

Madrid-Barajas is growing faster in 2026 than in 2025, with more passengers than a year earlier in every month so far. Aircraft movements are growing faster than passengers, while cargo has fallen since the summer.

View data table

Passengers at Madrid-Barajas each month in 2026, in millions, on Aena's provisional figures. Each month comes from the report for that month; the link is to the latest one.

Period	Value
Jan	5.38m
Feb	5.08m
Mar	5.73m
Apr	5.78m
May	6.01m
Jun	6.09m
Jul	6.47m
Aug	6.54m
Sep	6.31m

• January 2026 had 5,379,569 passengers, up 3.5% on January 2025, and 34,658 aircraft movements, up 2.5%. (Aena (Jan 2026 traffic report), Jan 2026)
• February 2026 had 5,077,072 passengers, up 5.3%, and 32,735 movements, up 3.9%. (Aena (Feb 2026 traffic report), Feb 2026)
• March 2026 had 5,732,793 passengers, up 4.2%, and 37,221 movements, up 4.7%. (Aena (Mar 2026 traffic report), Mar 2026)
• April 2026 had 5,776,833 passengers, up 3.3%, and 37,586 movements, up 7.0%. (Aena (Apr 2026 traffic report), Apr 2026)
• May 2026 had 6,007,105 passengers, up 4.8%, and 39,132 movements, up 6.8%. (Aena (May 2026 traffic report), May 2026)
• June 2026 had 6,087,384 passengers, up 4.5%, and 38,899 movements, up 7.2%. (Aena (Jun 2026 traffic report), Jun 2026)
• July 2026 had 6,466,823 passengers, up 4.8%, and 40,573 movements, up 7.0%. (Aena (Jul 2026 traffic report), Jul 2026)
• August 2026 was the busiest month of the year so far, with 6,544,815 passengers, up 4.8%, and 39,606 movements, up 6.5%. (Aena (Aug 2026 traffic report), Aug 2026)
• September 2026 had 6,313,660 passengers, up 6.6%, and 39,773 movements, up 8.6%. (Aena (Sep 2026 traffic report), Sep 2026)
• ACI EUROPE says Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen (+6.4%), Barcelona (+4.4%) and Madrid (+4.2%) grew fastest among Europe's major airports, those with over 40 million passengers, in the first half of 2026; the group as a whole grew 0.8% and Spain's airports 3.7%. (ACI EUROPE (H1 2026 traffic), Jul 2026)

All 2026 figures are Aena's provisional monthly counts and may be revised in its final annual report. October 2026 figures were not out when this page was reviewed. ACI EUROPE's growth rates are its own.

Which are the busiest months at Madrid-Barajas?

Summer is the peak at Madrid-Barajas, and in 2025 August overtook July as the busiest month for the first time. February is the quietest month, but even then more than 4.8 million passengers used the airport in 2025.

View data table

Passengers at Madrid-Barajas each month in 2025, in millions, on Aena's final monthly figures. Each month comes from the report for that month; the link is to the latest one.

Period	Value
Jan	5.20m
Feb	4.82m
Mar	5.50m
Apr	5.59m
May	5.73m
Jun	5.83m
Jul	6.17m
Aug	6.24m
Sep	5.92m
Oct	6.03m
Nov	5.49m
Dec	5.64m

• January 2025 had 5,198,197 passengers, up 8.4% on January 2024. (Aena (Jan 2025 traffic report), Jan 2025)
• February 2025 had 4,820,617, up 2.3%, the quietest month of the year. (Aena (Feb 2025 traffic report), Feb 2025)
• March 2025 had 5,503,337, up 3.0%. (Aena (Mar 2025 traffic report), Mar 2025)
• April 2025 had 5,594,433, up 3.8%. (Aena (Apr 2025 traffic report), Apr 2025)
• May 2025 had 5,734,337, up 1.0%. (Aena (May 2025 traffic report), May 2025)
• June 2025 had 5,825,218, up 0.5%. (Aena (Jun 2025 traffic report), Jun 2025)
• July 2025 had 6,170,309, up 0.6%. (Aena (Jul 2025 traffic report), Jul 2025)
• August 2025 had 6,243,625, up 2.8%, the busiest month of the year. (Aena (Aug 2025 traffic report), Aug 2025)
• September 2025 had 5,922,415, up 1.2%. (Aena (Sep 2025 traffic report), Sep 2025)
• October 2025 had 6,034,969, up 6.3%. (Aena (Oct 2025 traffic report), Oct 2025)
• November 2025 had 5,494,831, up 3.9%. (Aena (Nov 2025 traffic report), Nov 2025)
• December 2025 had 5,636,639, up 3.2%. (Aena (Dec 2025 traffic report), Dec 2025)
• August 2025 was the first month in which Madrid-Barajas averaged more than 200,000 passengers a day, and the first year in which August beat July, Aena said. (Aena (August 2025 record release), Sep 2025)
• Between 1 June and 31 August 2024 the airport handled 18,002,279 passengers, up 10.9%, its best summer at the time; the daily record then was 208,714 passengers on Sunday 30 June 2024. (Aena (summer 2024 release), Sep 2024)
• August 2024 had 6,071,313 passengers, up 9.2%. (Aena (summer 2024 release), Sep 2024)

Monthly 2025 figures are Aena's final data. Aena's September 2025 release gave a slightly different provisional August total; this page uses the final monthly report. The daily records are as stated in Aena's releases of September 2024 and September 2025, and Aena has not announced a newer daily record since.

How many Madrid-Barajas passengers fly internationally?

About three in four Madrid-Barajas passengers are on international flights, and that share is growing. International traffic rose in 2025 while domestic traffic fell, and flights outside the EU now carry more Madrid passengers than flights within it.

1. 1 Outside the EU 27.53m
2. 2 Within the EU 23.86m
3. 3 National (Spain) 16.65m

• Aena counted 51.5 million international passengers at Madrid-Barajas in 2025, 76% of the total and up 5.6%, and 16.7 million domestic passengers, 24% of the total and down 4.2%. (Aena (Madrid-Barajas 2025 presentation), 2025)
• On Eurostat's count of passengers carried, Madrid-Barajas had 16,648,244 national and 51,395,193 international passengers in 2025; 23,862,228 were on flights within the EU and 27,532,965 on flights outside it. (Eurostat (air passenger transport), Nov 2026)
• In 2019 Eurostat counted 16,714,989 national and 43,032,253 international passengers carried, with 22,185,224 within the EU and 20,847,029 outside it. (Eurostat (air passenger transport), Nov 2026)
• National passengers carried fell from 18,763,642 in 2010 to 11,918,888 in 2013, and were 17,372,075 in 2024. (Eurostat (air passenger transport), Nov 2026)
• International passengers carried rose from 31,033,780 in 2010 to 48,723,143 in 2024. (Eurostat (air passenger transport), Nov 2026)
• Eurostat counted 34,189,122 arriving and 33,854,315 departing passengers carried at Madrid-Barajas in 2025. (Eurostat (air passenger transport), Nov 2026)
• In August 2025, 4,757,115 commercial passengers flew internationally from or to Madrid, up 5.2%, and 1,476,873 domestically, down 4.3%, Aena said. (Aena (August 2025 record release), Sep 2025)
• In August 2024 international passengers rose 9.5% to 4,520,427 and domestic passengers 8% to 1,543,864. (Aena (summer 2024 release), Sep 2024)
• Across Aena's whole Spanish network, domestic traffic fell 0.3% in 2025 and international traffic rose 5.9%. (Aena (2025 results presentation), Feb 2026)

Aena's split is of its own count, rounded and on provisional 2025 data. Eurostat counts passengers carried and splits international traffic into flights within and outside the EU. The two are different measures and are not mixed. Aena's monthly splits cover commercial passengers only.

Where do Madrid-Barajas passengers fly to?

Europe is the largest market from Madrid, followed by domestic flights and Latin America. Routes to Palma, the Canary Islands, Rome and Lisbon have grown since 2019, while the Barcelona route has shrunk.

• Europe 44.0%
• Domestic 24.5%
• Latin America 18.1%
• North America 5.3%
• Middle East and Asia 4.8%
• Africa 3.3%

• Aena counted 30 million passengers between Madrid-Barajas and the rest of Europe in 2025, 44.0% of the total, on 210 routes to 104 destinations. (Aena (Madrid-Barajas 2025 presentation), 2025)
• The Americas had 16 million passengers, 23.4%; the Middle East and Asia 3.3 million, 4.8%; and Africa 2.2 million, 3.3%. (Aena (Madrid-Barajas 2025 presentation), 2025)
• 90 airlines served 232 destinations from Madrid-Barajas in 2025, including 15 new destinations, Aena says. (Aena (Madrid-Barajas 2025 presentation), 2025)
• Aena counted 447 routes from Madrid-Barajas in 2025, against 418 in 2024 and 430 in 2019. (Aena (Madrid-Barajas business page), 2026)
• After Spain, the countries with the most Madrid passengers in 2025 were Italy with 6.1 million, France with 4.2 million, and the United States and the United Kingdom with 3.4 million each. (Aena (Madrid-Barajas 2025 presentation), 2025)
• Aena's top destinations in 2025 were Palma de Mallorca with 2.2 million passengers, Rome-Fiumicino with 2.0 million, and Gran Canaria and Lisbon with 1.9 million each; Barcelona-El Prat had 1.8 million. (Aena (Madrid-Barajas 2025 presentation), 2025)
• On Eurostat's 2024 route data, Palma de Mallorca was Madrid's busiest route with 2,206,891 passengers carried; Barcelona, the top route in 2019 with 2,572,893, fell to 2,036,488. (Eurostat (Spanish airport routes), Nov 2025)
• Rome-Fiumicino grew from 1,266,980 passengers in 2019 to 1,979,946 in 2024 and Lisbon from 1,557,398 to 1,905,986, while Frankfurt fell from 1,071,482 to 908,421. (Eurostat (Spanish airport routes), Nov 2025)
• Paris-Orly had 1,585,160 passengers on the route from Madrid in 2024 and London Heathrow 1,550,044. (Eurostat (Spanish airport routes), Nov 2025)
• On domestic routes, Málaga grew from 357,258 passengers in 2019 to 696,645 in 2024, while Santiago fell from 719,748 to 455,847 and Sevilla from 486,438 to 416,217. (Eurostat (Spanish airport routes), Nov 2025)

Aena's figures count passengers to and from each destination in 2025 on provisional data, and its route and destination counts include only those with at least 5,000 passengers a year; a route is one airline serving one destination. Eurostat's route figures are passengers carried between two airports in both directions in 2024, the latest year it has published. The two are different measures and years and are not compared.

How important is Madrid for flights to Latin America?

Madrid is Europe's main air gateway to Latin America on Aena's, ACI EUROPE's and IAG's figures. Latin America is the airport's biggest long-haul market, and Iberia keeps adding routes there.

1. 1 Madrid 390
2. 2 Paris-CDG 125
3. 3 Lisbon 115
4. 4 Amsterdam 107
5. 5 London Heathrow 75

• Aena says Madrid-Barajas is Europe's largest gateway to Latin America, with 33% of the market. (Aena (Madrid-Barajas 2025 presentation), 2025)
• Aena counted 12,374 thousand Latin America passengers in 2025, 18.1% of the total, on 73 routes to 38 destinations; North America had 3,637 thousand, 5.3%, on 26 routes to 15 destinations. (Aena (Madrid-Barajas 2025 presentation), 2025)
• On ACI EUROPE's Latin America connectivity table, Lisbon was third with 115, Amsterdam fourth with 107 and London Heathrow fifth with 75. (ACI EUROPE (Connectivity Report 2025), Jun 2025)
• IAG says Iberia had a 17% share of the market between Europe and Latin America and the Caribbean in 2024, the largest of any airline. (IAG (Iberia fact sheet), Jun 2025)
• Iberia offered more than 5.5 million seats between Europe and Latin America including the Caribbean in 2025, a record and 4.1% more than in 2024, IAG says. (IAG (Annual Report 2025), 2026)
• IAG calls Madrid "the new Miami" for Latin America; Iberia opened routes to Orlando and Recife in 2025 and planned Fortaleza, Monterrey, Toronto and Philadelphia for 2026. (IAG (Annual Report 2025), 2026)
• Bogotá was Madrid's busiest long-haul route in 2024, with 1,546,093 passengers carried, ahead of Mexico City with 1,208,106, Buenos Aires-Ezeiza with 1,077,881 and Lima with 985,526. (Eurostat (Spanish airport routes), Nov 2025)
• Bogotá grew from 956,777 passengers in 2019 and Mexico City from 882,700, while New York JFK fell from 1,030,397 to 839,449. (Eurostat (Spanish airport routes), Nov 2025)
• Miami had 787,571 passengers on the route in 2024, São Paulo-Guarulhos 786,006 and Santiago de Chile 777,760. (Eurostat (Spanish airport routes), Nov 2025)

Aena does not say how its 33% market share is measured. ACI EUROPE's connectivity score weights direct flights by frequency and destination from airline schedules; it is not a passenger count. IAG's figures are Iberia's own seats and routes. Eurostat's route figures are passengers carried in both directions in 2024. None of these are compared with each other.

Which airlines carry the most passengers at Madrid-Barajas?

Iberia and its group airlines are the largest at Madrid-Barajas, with Air Europa and Ryanair next. Wizz Air and Air Nostrum grew fastest among the big carriers in 2025, while Iberia Express shrank.

1. 1 Iberia 18.59m
2. 2 Air Europa 11.27m
3. 3 Ryanair 7.41m
4. 4 Iberia Express 6.69m
5. 5 Air Nostrum 4.22m
6. 6 Wizz Air 1.63m
7. 7 American Airlines 0.96m
8. 8 easyJet 0.92m
9. 9 Avianca 0.90m
10. 10 Lufthansa 0.87m

• Air Europa carried 11,265,760 passengers at Madrid-Barajas in 2025, up 4%, a 17% share, on 53 routes. (Aena (Madrid-Barajas 2025 presentation), 2025)
• Ryanair carried 7,413,158, up 3% and 11% of the total, on 63 routes, and Iberia Express 6,693,115, down 15% and 10% of the total. (Aena (Madrid-Barajas 2025 presentation), 2025)
• Air Nostrum carried 4,219,603, up 15%, and Wizz Air 1,631,336, up 28%. (Aena (Madrid-Barajas 2025 presentation), 2025)
• Further down, American Airlines had 962,621 passengers, easyJet 919,465, Avianca 896,301 and Lufthansa 867,933. (Aena (Madrid-Barajas 2025 presentation), 2025)
• Across Aena's Spanish network, Iberia's passengers were flat in 2025, at 7.0% of all traffic. (Aena (2025 results presentation), Feb 2026)
• IAG says Iberia had a 45% seat share at its Madrid hub in 2024 and served more than 120 destinations. (IAG (Iberia fact sheet), Jun 2025)
• Iberia's long-haul fleet was 49 aircraft in 2025, and IAG aims for 70 by the mid-2030s. (IAG (Annual Report 2025), 2026)
• The Iberia Group flew 5% fewer flights in Europe's network in 2025 than in 2024, but 3% more than in 2019, EUROCONTROL says, with fewer domestic flights in Spain and fewer to Portugal, Germany and France. (EUROCONTROL (European Aviation Overview 2025), Jan 2026)

Aena's airline figures are passengers at Madrid-Barajas in 2025 on provisional data, and the shares are of Aena's count. IAG's 45% is Iberia's own figure for seats offered at Madrid in 2024 and may include Iberia Express, so it is not compared with Aena's passenger shares. EUROCONTROL's Iberia Group figure covers flights across Europe, not Madrid alone.

How many flights does Madrid-Barajas handle?

Madrid-Barajas has slightly more flights than in 2019, while its passenger numbers have grown much more. Flights are growing faster again in 2026, and in September 2026 Madrid was one of the fastest-growing big airports in Europe.

View data table

Aircraft movements at Madrid-Barajas each year, in thousands, on Aena's final count of take-offs and landings. Each year comes from the release for that year; the link is to the latest one.

Period	Value
2010	433.7k
2011	429.4k
2012	373.2k
2013	333.1k
2014	342.6k
2015	366.6k
2016	378.2k
2017	387.6k
2018	409.8k
2019	426.4k
2020	165.7k
2021	217.5k
2022	351.9k
2023	389.2k
2024	420.2k
2025	430.6k

• Madrid-Barajas had 433,706 aircraft movements in 2010, down 0.3%. (Aena (2010 annual traffic report), 2010)
• Movements fell 10.8% to 333,056 in 2013. (Aena (2013 annual traffic report), 2013)
• Movements rose 4.0% to 426,375 in 2019. (Aena (2019 annual traffic report), 2019)
• They fell 61.1% to 165,743 in 2020. (Aena (2020 annual traffic report), 2020)
• They rose 31.3% to 217,539 in 2021, 49.0% below 2019. (Aena (2021 annual traffic report), 2021)
• They rose 61.8% to 351,906 in 2022. (Aena (2022 annual traffic report), 2022)
• They rose 10.6% to 389,180 in 2023, 8.7% below 2019. (Aena (2023 annual traffic report), 2023)
• They rose 8.0% to 420,182 in 2024, 1.5% below 2019. (Aena (2024 annual traffic report), 2024)
• Movements rose 2.5% to 430,618 in 2025. (Aena (2025 annual traffic report), 2025)
• Aena puts 2025 operations 1.0% above 2019, while passengers were 10.4% higher; the airport averaged 8,281 operations and 1.3 million passengers a week. (Aena (Madrid-Barajas 2025 presentation), 2025)
• Aircraft movements from January to September 2026 totalled 340,183, up 6.1%. (Aena (Sep 2026 traffic report), Oct 2026)
• EUROCONTROL's busiest airports by daily flights in 2025 were Istanbul with 1,491, Amsterdam with 1,351, London Heathrow with 1,315, Paris-CDG with 1,314 and Frankfurt with 1,261; Barcelona was seventh with 989. (EUROCONTROL (European Aviation Overview 2025), Jan 2026)
• Madrid was one of five airports in Europe's top 10 by flights to operate above 2019 levels in 2025, with London Heathrow, Athens, Barcelona and Rome. (EUROCONTROL (European Aviation Overview 2025), Jan 2026)
• Madrid averaged 1,326 flights a day in September 2026, up 8.4%, the fifth busiest airport in EUROCONTROL's network that month and, with Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen, the fastest growing of the top 20. (EUROCONTROL (network operations Sep 2026), Oct 2026)
• Eurostat counted 396,362 commercial passenger flights at Madrid-Barajas in 2019 and 405,491 in 2025, of which 120,463 were national and 285,028 international. (Eurostat (commercial flights), Nov 2026)
• The busiest day for flights in summer 2024 was Friday 21 June, with 1,291 operations; the summer had 110,724 aircraft movements, up 9.7%. (Aena (summer 2024 release), Sep 2024)
• August 2025 had 26,561 international commercial flights, up 4.4%, and 10,577 domestic ones, down 4.9%. (Aena (August 2025 record release), Sep 2025)

Aena's aircraft movements count every take-off and landing, including cargo and general aviation flights. Eurostat counts commercial passenger flights only, and EUROCONTROL counts flights under instrument flight rules per day across its network. The three are not compared. The weekly averages are from Aena's presentation, which uses provisional 2025 data, and the 2026 figures are provisional.

How much cargo goes through Madrid-Barajas?

Cargo at Madrid-Barajas grew much faster than passengers after the pandemic and set a record each year from 2022 to 2025. In 2026 the trend has turned, with cargo below the previous year in every month from June to September.

View data table

Cargo at Madrid-Barajas each year, in million kilograms, on Aena's final figures for goods (mercancía). Each year comes from the release for that year; the link is to the latest one.

Period	Value
2010	373.9m kg
2011	394.2m kg
2012	361.0m kg
2013	346.6m kg
2014	367.0m kg
2015	381.6m kg
2016	416.3m kg
2017	472.2m kg
2018	520.0m kg
2019	560.0m kg
2020	402.6m kg
2021	523.5m kg
2022	566.4m kg
2023	643.5m kg
2024	766.9m kg
2025	840.4m kg

• Aena counted 373,911,121 kg of cargo at Madrid-Barajas in 2010, up 23.5%. (Aena (2010 annual traffic report), 2010)
• Cargo rose 13.4% to 472,248,848 kg in 2017. (Aena (2017 annual traffic report), 2017)
• It rose 10.1% to 520,045,729 kg in 2018. (Aena (2018 annual traffic report), 2018)
• It rose 7.7% to 560,039,136 kg in 2019. (Aena (2019 annual traffic report), 2019)
• Cargo fell 28.1% to 402,575,121 kg in 2020, a much smaller drop than for passengers. (Aena (2020 annual traffic report), 2020)
• It rose 30.0% to 523,480,305 kg in 2021, 6.5% below 2019. (Aena (2021 annual traffic report), 2021)
• It rose 8.2% to 566,395,050 kg in 2022, 1.1% above 2019. (Aena (2022 annual traffic report), 2022)
• It rose 13.6% to 643,543,216 kg in 2023, 14.9% above 2019. (Aena (2023 annual traffic report), 2023)
• It rose 19.2% to 766,906,712 kg in 2024, 36.9% above 2019. (Aena (2024 annual traffic report), 2024)
• Aena's 2025 presentation puts Madrid cargo 50.0% above 2019. (Aena (Madrid-Barajas 2025 presentation), 2025)
• Aena called 2025 the year with the most commercial cargo in the Madrid airport's history; its Spanish network handled 1,372,394 tonnes of freight, on provisional figures. (Aena (2025 traffic press release), Jan 2026)
• Cargo from January to September 2026 was 581,771,867 kg, down 3.7%. (Aena (Sep 2026 traffic report), Oct 2026)
• Cargo fell 5.3% to 67,133,374 kg in March 2026. (Aena (Mar 2026 traffic report), Mar 2026)
• It fell 10.0% to 62,931,064 kg in July 2026. (Aena (Jul 2026 traffic report), Jul 2026)
• It fell 12.0% to 59,695,246 kg in August 2026. (Aena (Aug 2026 traffic report), Aug 2026)
• It fell 13.1% to 62,416,513 kg in September 2026. (Aena (Sep 2026 traffic report), Sep 2026)
• In August 2025 Madrid handled 67,802 tonnes of cargo, up 11.4% and 61% of all air cargo on Aena's Spanish network that month. (Aena (August 2025 record release), Sep 2025)
• In August 2024 cargo rose 24.9% to 60,850 tonnes, more than 58% of the network's air cargo that month. (Aena (summer 2024 release), Sep 2024)
• Eurostat counted 848,243 tonnes of freight and mail loaded and unloaded at Madrid-Barajas in 2025, against 511,167 in 2019; 692,322 tonnes were on flights outside the EU, 122,407 within it and 33,514 national. (Eurostat (freight and mail), Nov 2026)
• All-cargo flights rose from 12,019 in 2019 to a peak of 15,278 in 2021 and were 12,224 in 2025, on Eurostat's count. (Eurostat (freight and mail), Nov 2026)

Aena reports cargo as goods (mercancía) in kilograms in its statistics, and in tonnes in its press releases. Eurostat counts freight and mail loaded and unloaded, in tonnes, under its own rules, and its totals differ from Aena's, so the two series are not mixed. Aena's network figure for 2025 and all 2026 figures are provisional.

Where does Madrid-Barajas rank in Spain, Europe and the world?

Madrid-Barajas is Spain's busiest airport, one of Europe's five busiest by passengers and in the world's top 20. It ranks higher for international passengers than for total traffic, and higher in Europe for connections than for passengers.

1. 1 Paris-CDG 72.00m
2. 2 Amsterdam 68.77m
3. 3 Madrid 68.04m
4. 4 Frankfurt 63.10m
5. 5 Barcelona 57.38m
6. 6 Rome-Fiumicino 50.86m
7. 7 Munich 43.37m

• In ACI World's 2025 table, Amsterdam was 17th with 68,771,592 passengers and Shenzhen 19th with 66,485,213. (ACI World (2025 rankings), Jul 2026)
• ACI World ranked Madrid 11th in the world for international passengers in 2025, with 51,394,869; Barcelona was 15th with 43,256,689. (ACI World (international passengers 2025), Oct 2026)
• ACI EUROPE ranked Madrid fifth in Europe in 2025, with 68.12 million passengers, behind London Heathrow with 84.48 million, Istanbul with 84.44 million, Paris-CDG with 72.02 million and Amsterdam with 68.77 million. (ACI EUROPE (2025 traffic report), Feb 2026)
• Aena says Madrid ranked fourth among EU and UK airports in 2025 on ACI EUROPE statistics. (Aena (Madrid-Barajas 2025 presentation), 2025)
• On Eurostat's count of passengers carried, Madrid-Barajas had 68,043,437 passengers in 2025, behind Paris-CDG with 72,002,540 and Amsterdam with 68,770,805 among the large EU airports in the chart below. (Eurostat (air passenger transport, EU airports), Nov 2026)
• Madrid-Barajas had 21.2% of the passengers on Aena's Spanish network in 2025, on commercial traffic. (Aena (2025 results presentation), Feb 2026)
• Aena's Spanish airports handled 321,587,316 passengers and 2,696,414 aircraft movements in 2025 on provisional figures; Barcelona-El Prat was second to Madrid with 57,483,036 passengers, up 4.4%. (Aena (2025 traffic press release), Jan 2026)
• ACI EUROPE ranked Madrid sixth in Europe for direct connectivity in 2025, up from seventh in 2019, and fifth among major airports for overall connectivity. (ACI EUROPE (Connectivity Report 2025), Jun 2025)
• Madrid ranked 14th in the world and seventh in Europe for hub connectivity in 2025, with a score of 22,501, 2% below 2019. (ACI EUROPE (Connectivity Report 2025), Jun 2025)
• For direct connectivity to the rest of Europe, Madrid was fifth with a score of 3,039, behind Amsterdam with 3,941, Frankfurt with 3,553, Istanbul with 3,367 and Barcelona with 3,115. (ACI EUROPE (Connectivity Report 2025), Jun 2025)

ACI World and ACI EUROPE count total passengers on their own rules for their rankings, and Eurostat counts passengers carried at EU airports only. Each ranking is given with its own figures, and none is compared with Aena's count. Connectivity scores are ACI EUROPE indices built from airline schedules, not passenger counts. Aena's network totals for 2025 are provisional.

How punctual are flights at Madrid-Barajas?

Arrivals at Madrid-Barajas were among the most punctual of Europe's big airports in 2025, but departures were less so. Delays in Spanish airspace grew as traffic rose.

1. 1 Istanbul 80.4%
2. 2 London Heathrow 78.3%
3. 3 Munich 76.3%
4. 4 London Gatwick 70.9%
5. 5 Madrid 70.6%
6. 6 Frankfurt 67.0%
7. 7 Amsterdam 65.2%
8. 8 Paris-CDG 64.6%
9. 9 Athens 64.0%

• EUROCONTROL measured 70.6% of Madrid-Barajas departures within 15 minutes of schedule in 2025. (EUROCONTROL (Performance Review Report 2025), Mar 2026)
• On the same measures Munich had 80.4% of arrivals and 76.3% of departures on time, London Heathrow 79.4% and 78.3%, Istanbul 79.1% and 80.4%, Frankfurt 76.8% and 67.0%, Paris-CDG 76.2% and 64.6%, and Amsterdam 75.1% and 65.2%. (EUROCONTROL (Performance Review Report 2025), Mar 2026)
• Spain accounted for 13% of all en-route air traffic flow management delays in Europe in 2025; the Barcelona and Madrid area control centres caused 77% of them, with Madrid's delays up 43%. (EUROCONTROL (European Aviation Overview 2025), Jan 2026)
• IAG says Iberia had 82% on-time performance in 2024, the best of any airline in Europe. (IAG (Iberia fact sheet), Jun 2025)

EUROCONTROL counts arrivals and departures separately within 15 minutes of schedule, from airport operator data. The en-route delays arise in the airspace controlled from Madrid and Barcelona, not at the airport itself. IAG's punctuality figure is the airline's own, for all its flights, and is not compared with EUROCONTROL's.

How many international passengers arrive at Madrid-Barajas?

Madrid-Barajas receives more passengers from abroad than any other Spanish airport, on Turespaña's count, and the number passed its 2019 level in 2024. Most of them come on traditional network airlines, not on low-cost carriers.

View data table

International air passengers arriving at Madrid-Barajas from abroad, in millions, on Turespaña's count. Each year comes from the release for that year; the link is to the latest one.

Period	Value
2019	22.54m
2021	7.76m
2022	18.26m
2024	24.50m
2025	25.78m

• 20,228,789 of these passengers flew on traditional airlines in 2025, up 5.9% and 44.3% of all such arrivals in Spain, and 5,553,209 on low-cost carriers, up 3.0% and 8.4% of Spain's low-cost arrivals. (Turespaña (international air passengers, Dec 2025), Jan 2026)
• Barcelona was second with 21,581,434 international arriving passengers in 2025; Spain as a whole had 111,737,750. (Turespaña (international air passengers, Dec 2025), Jan 2026)
• International arrivals at Madrid were 24,496,824 in 2024, up 11.2%: 19,056,944 on traditional airlines and 5,439,880 on low-cost carriers. (Turespaña (international air passengers, Dec 2024), Jan 2025)
• They were 18,255,373 in 2022, 19.0% below 2019. (Turespaña (international air passengers, Dec 2022), Jan 2023)
• They were 7,761,760 in 2021, 65.6% below 2019. (Turespaña (international air passengers, Dec 2021), Jan 2022)
• In 2019 Madrid received 22,544,276 international arriving passengers, 23.9% of Spain's 94,478,446; 16,906,063 came on traditional airlines and 5,638,213 on low-cost carriers. (Turespaña (international air passengers, Dec 2019), Jan 2020)
• From January to September 2026, 20,273,720 international passengers arrived at Madrid-Barajas, up 5.1% and 22.3% of Spain's 90,851,658; September alone had 2,481,142, up 5.6%. (Turespaña (international air passengers, Sep 2026), Oct 2026)

Turespaña counts passengers arriving in Spain on flights from airports abroad, residents and visitors alike, from Aena's records. It is a different measure from Aena's passenger total, which counts all arrivals and departures, and from tourist counts, so it is not compared with either. The notes are provisional for a year. 2020 is not shown, and 2023 is left out because the airport row in Turespaña's note for that year does not match its own parts.

Who flies from Madrid-Barajas?

Most people leaving Madrid-Barajas are travelling for leisure, and business trips are a minority. Departing passengers are split almost evenly between Spanish and foreign nationals.

• Holidays 56%
• Business 19%
• Visiting friends and relatives 19%
• Other 5%

• 19% of departing passengers in 2025 were on business, 19% were visiting friends and relatives and 5% travelled for other reasons. (Aena (Madrid-Barajas 2025 presentation), 2025)
• 31% lived in the province of Madrid, 28% in the rest of Spain and 41% abroad. (Aena (Madrid-Barajas 2025 presentation), 2025)
• 51% of departing passengers were Spanish nationals and 49% foreign. (Aena (Madrid-Barajas 2025 presentation), 2025)
• 43% were aged 30 to 49 and 20% were aged 50 to 64. (Aena (Madrid-Barajas 2025 presentation), 2025)
• Aena says the airport's area of influence has 8 million inhabitants. (Aena (Madrid-Barajas business page), 2026)

All figures except the area of influence come from Aena's surveys of 19,153 departing commercial passengers in 2025, and shares are rounded. Aena does not say how it defines the area of influence or for which year.

How big is Madrid-Barajas Airport?

Madrid-Barajas has four runways in two parallel pairs and five passenger terminals, T1, T2, T3, T4 and T4S, and it is open 24 hours a day. Aena has added hangar and security space since 2025.

1. 1 18R/36L 4,179 m
2. 2 14R/32L 3,988 m
3. 3 18L/36R 3,500 m
4. 4 14L/32R 3,500 m

• The airport site covers 4,000 hectares, with 940,000 square metres of terminal buildings, 3,000,000 square metres of apron and 340 aircraft stands. (Aena (Madrid-Barajas 2025 presentation), 2025)
• Its runways are 18R/36L at 4,179 metres, 14R/32L at 3,988 metres, and 18L/36R and 14L/32R at 3,500 metres each, all 60 metres wide and all CAT III; the airport stands 609 metres above sea level. (Aena (Madrid-Barajas 2025 presentation), 2025)
• Passenger facilities include 396 check-in counters, 92 self-service kiosks, 228 boarding gates and 47 baggage reclaim carousels. (Aena (Madrid-Barajas 2025 presentation), 2025)
• There are 18,634 car parking spaces, 106 shops and duty free outlets covering 21,442 square metres, 64 restaurants and cafés covering 19,867 square metres, and 7 VIP lounges plus a Premium Lounge. (Aena (Madrid-Barajas 2025 presentation), 2025)
• Madrid-Barajas holds Level 4 certification in ACI EUROPE's Airport Carbon Accreditation programme, Aena says. (Aena (Madrid-Barajas 2025 presentation), 2025)
• The largest hangar in Aena's network opened at Madrid-Barajas in April 2025. (Aena (2025 results presentation), Feb 2026)
• Terminal 4's new central security checkpoint opened fully in August 2026, growing from 2,500 to 6,500 square metres plus a 647 square metre Fast Track zone, with 36 scanners that let passengers keep liquids and electronics in their bags; it cost more than €10.3 million, before screening equipment. (Aena (Madrid-Barajas expansion, Jul 2026), Jul 2026)

Infrastructure figures are from Aena's 2025 presentation for airlines, which draws on Spain's aeronautical information publication (AIP). The declared capacity is the hourly limit used to allocate slots. Aena's presentation gives two different counts of boarding bridges without explaining the difference, so neither is used here.

What is being built at Madrid-Barajas?

Aena plans to enlarge Terminals 4 and 4S and remodel T1, T2 and T3, and Spain's government approved its 2027-2031 investment plan in September 2026. The Madrid regional government is also extending Metro Line 5 to the airport.

1. 1 Madrid-Barajas 73.3m
2. 2 Barcelona-El Prat 60.2m
3. 3 Palma de Mallorca 35.7m

• €2,960 million of the expansion is due to be spent from 2027 to 2031, Aena said in July 2026. (Aena (Madrid-Barajas expansion, Jul 2026), Jul 2026)
• In July 2026 Aena put two works out to tender worth €146,471,000: the T4 North Apron for €89,971,000 over 35 months, and a 36-metre extension of the T4S South Pier for €56.5 million over 24 months, adding three contact gates for non-Schengen flights. (Aena (Madrid-Barajas expansion, Jul 2026), Jul 2026)
• In March 2026 Aena told the Madrid Airport Coordination Committee that its 2027-2031 proposal meant total investment of €4,488 million across the Madrid airports, Madrid-Barajas and Madrid-Cuatro Vientos. (Aena (Madrid airport committee, Mar 2026), Mar 2026)
• Aena said the capacity of the four existing runways is enough "for a distant future". (Aena (Madrid airport committee, Mar 2026), Mar 2026)
• In November 2023 Aena put the planned investment to expand T4 and T4S and remodel T1, T2 and T3 at close to €2,400 million, about €1,700 million for T4 and T4S and €700 million for T1 to T3, and awarded a €10,853,472 design contract for T4 and T4S. (Aena (T4 and T4S design contract, Nov 2023), Nov 2023)
• Aena's proposal forecast 60.2 million passengers at Barcelona and 35.7 million at Palma in 2031, and 1.69 billion across its network from 2027 to 2031. (Aena (DORA 2027-2031 proposal), Feb 2026)
• Spain's Council of Ministers approved the 2027-2031 airport regulation document (DORA) on 15 September 2026, with investment of nearly €13 billion across Aena's network and average airport charges rising 0.33% a year. (La Moncloa (DORA 2027-2031 approval), Sep 2026)
• The government said average yearly investment in the network would rise from €450 million in the last period to around €2 billion. (La Moncloa (DORA 2027-2031 approval), Sep 2026)
• The Comunidad de Madrid is spending €180.9 million to extend Metro Line 5 by 1.7 km from Alameda de Osuna to the airport's T1-T2-T3 station, over 30 months from spring 2025, with a new 5,000 square metre interchange; Line 5 carries more than 77 million passengers a year. (Comunidad de Madrid (Metro Line 5, Feb 2025), Feb 2025)
• Works began on 19 May 2025 and are 40% funded by the EU's regional development fund (FEDER), the regional government says. (Comunidad de Madrid (Metro Line 5, May 2025), May 2025)

Aena has given three investment figures with different scopes, and none updates another: the November 2023 figure covers only T4, T4S and T1 to T3; the March 2026 figure covers all Aena investment at both Madrid airports in its DORA proposal; the July 2026 figure covers the Madrid-Barajas expansion project. The capacity target is Aena's plan. The 2031 figures are Aena's forecasts in its February 2026 proposal, made before the government approved the DORA. The Metro investment is the regional government's, and the Line 5 ridership is for the whole line.

Methodology and sources

Figures come from Aena's final annual and monthly traffic reports from 2010 to 2026, its presentation for airlines, results, regulation proposal, press releases and business page, Eurostat, ACI World, ACI EUROPE, EUROCONTROL, Turespaña, IAG, the Government of Spain and the Comunidad de Madrid. Each figure links to the body that produced it, with the date. Aena's final passenger count is the main series; Eurostat's passengers carried and ACI's ranking totals are given only with their own labels, and Turespaña's international arrivals are a separate measure that is not compared with any passenger total. Aena's cargo in kilograms and Eurostat's freight and mail in tonnes are kept apart, as are Aena's, Eurostat's and EUROCONTROL's flight counts, and Aena's airline passenger shares and IAG's seat share. Investment figures are given with the scope and date each source states, and forecasts and plans are labelled with who made them and when. The page is reviewed monthly and the date is shown at the top.

• ACI EUROPE (2025 traffic report) · Feb 2026
• ACI EUROPE (Connectivity Report 2025) · Jun 2025
• ACI EUROPE (H1 2026 traffic) · Jul 2026
• ACI World (2025 rankings) · Jul 2026
• ACI World (international passengers 2025) · Oct 2026
• Aena (2010 annual traffic report) · 2010
• Aena (2011 annual traffic report) · 2011
• Aena (2012 annual traffic report) · 2012
• Aena (2013 annual traffic report) · 2013
• Aena (2014 annual traffic report) · 2014
• Aena (2015 annual traffic report) · 2015
• Aena (2016 annual traffic report) · 2016
• Aena (2017 annual traffic report) · 2017
• Aena (2018 annual traffic report) · 2018
• Aena (2019 annual traffic report) · 2019
• Aena (2020 annual traffic report) · 2020
• Aena (2021 annual traffic report) · 2021
• Aena (2022 annual traffic report) · 2022
• Aena (2023 annual traffic report) · 2023
• Aena (2024 annual traffic report) · 2024
• Aena (2025 annual traffic report) · 2025
• Aena (2025 results presentation) · Feb 2026
• Aena (2025 traffic press release) · Jan 2026
• Aena (Apr 2020 traffic report) · Apr 2020
• Aena (Apr 2025 traffic report) · Apr 2025
• Aena (Apr 2026 traffic report) · Apr 2026
• Aena (Aug 2025 traffic report) · Aug 2025
• Aena (Aug 2026 traffic report) · Aug 2026
• Aena (August 2025 record release) · Sep 2025
• Aena (Dec 2025 traffic report) · Dec 2025
• Aena (DORA 2027-2031 proposal) · Feb 2026
• Aena (Feb 2025 traffic report) · Feb 2025
• Aena (Feb 2026 traffic report) · Feb 2026
• Aena (Jan 2025 traffic report) · Jan 2025
• Aena (Jan 2026 traffic report) · Jan 2026
• Aena (Jul 2025 traffic report) · Jul 2025
• Aena (Jul 2026 traffic report) · Jul 2026
• Aena (Jun 2025 traffic report) · Jun 2025
• Aena (Jun 2026 traffic report) · Jun 2026
• Aena (Madrid airport committee, Mar 2026) · Mar 2026
• Aena (Madrid-Barajas 2025 presentation) · 2025
• Aena (Madrid-Barajas business page) · 2026
• Aena (Madrid-Barajas expansion, Jul 2026) · Jul 2026
• Aena (Mar 2025 traffic report) · Mar 2025
• Aena (Mar 2026 traffic report) · Mar 2026
• Aena (May 2025 traffic report) · May 2025
• Aena (May 2026 traffic report) · May 2026
• Aena (Nov 2025 traffic report) · Nov 2025
• Aena (Oct 2025 traffic report) · Oct 2025
• Aena (Sep 2025 traffic report) · Sep 2025
• Aena (Sep 2026 traffic report) · Sep 2026
• Aena (summer 2024 release) · Sep 2024
• Aena (T4 and T4S design contract, Nov 2023) · Nov 2023
• Comunidad de Madrid (Metro Line 5, Feb 2025) · Feb 2025
• Comunidad de Madrid (Metro Line 5, May 2025) · May 2025
• EUROCONTROL (European Aviation Overview 2025) · Jan 2026
• EUROCONTROL (network operations Sep 2026) · Oct 2026
• EUROCONTROL (Performance Review Report 2025) · Mar 2026
• Eurostat (air passenger transport, EU airports) · Nov 2026
• Eurostat (freight and mail) · Nov 2026
• Eurostat (Spanish airport routes) · Nov 2025
• IAG (Annual Report 2025) · 2026
• IAG (Iberia fact sheet) · Jun 2025
• La Moncloa (DORA 2027-2031 approval) · Sep 2026
• Turespaña (international air passengers, Dec 2019) · Jan 2020
• Turespaña (international air passengers, Dec 2021) · Jan 2022
• Turespaña (international air passengers, Dec 2022) · Jan 2023
• Turespaña (international air passengers, Dec 2024) · Jan 2025
• Turespaña (international air passengers, Dec 2025) · Jan 2026
• Turespaña (international air passengers, Sep 2026) · Oct 2026