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The decision about awarding the contract for construction of the south terminal of the Barcelona Airport is an important one. The implications for Barcelona and Catalonia are worthy of debate The Tourism Management Club hosted a round table on this topic, featuring Joan Gaspart, member of the Barcelona Chamber of Commerce; Carlos Medrano, expert in airport management; and Josep Maria Llodrà, General Manager of Air Comet. Francesc Xavier Mena, Professor in the Department of Economics at ESADE, acted as moderator.

In the past few months, the Barcelona's El Prat Airport has been at the centre of many news stories. The airport is an element of Catalonia's infrastructure that clearly plays a key role in the region's economic development. At this turning point for the airport, ESADE wanted to take an in-depth look at the issue.

The first speaker, Mr. Medrano, critically discussed areas for improvement at the Barcelona Airport. 'The airport is much more than just infrastructure', he said. 'It is and will be a magnificent airport - not because of its size, but because it will fulfil its purpose'. He reminded the audience that El Prat is 'the fastest-growing airport in Spain and the second-largest, after Madrid's Barajas'. The airport, he said, 'operates at 88.6% of its capacity, which implies a good situation for operations, since there is room to manoeuvre and avoid collapse'.

Mr. Medrano went on to analyse the future of airports: 'The airlines are demanding more and more from the airports, while at the same time pushing for lower fees'. The general trend in Europe, he added, is toward privatisation: 'Nine of Europe's twenty largest airports have already been privatised'. In the long term, he noted, 'European Union directives will call for the liberalisation of the value chain'. In short, the relationship between the airlines and the airport needs to shift from one of 'users' and 'administrators' to one of equal partners. 'El Prat needs to work on this point', he added.

Towards the end of his remarks, Mr. Medrano defined the strategies El Prat should follow: emphasis on geographical location and a study of revenue generated by attracting investors. The airport's position is very good, he noted, because it is 'more than 600 kilometres from the closest hub' and ?far from congested areas such as the Amsterdam-Frankfurt corridor'.

The second speaker was Josep Maria Llodrà, General Manager of Air Comet. He began by calling on the Barcelona Airport to 'be ambitious, aim for high growth figures, and stop depending so much on air shuttle flights'. He added: 'El Prat's development must be linked to the commitment to becoming a regional power in southern Europe. The airport must not limit itself to Catalonia'.

Llodrà pointed out some positive aspects: 'Catalonia has a large volume of travellers and a good geographical location. From there, we must apply intelligent management'.

He finished his comments by noting that 'if the airport plans properly for the future, its geographical location and other conditions create the potential for becoming a hub'.

The last speaker, Mr. Gaspart, offered the perspective of the Catalan business community: 'We must discuss this issue very prudently, because it is a political matter'. The government, he said, 'does not want to accept the fact that El Prat is neither better nor worse than other Spanish airports - it's just different'.

Mr. Gaspart then discussed the development of tourism, which 'requires an airport that works well, because the success of Barcelona is on the line'. He added: 'It's not that Catalans are constantly asking for things. We simply want what we deserve, and this airport is essential to our economy'.

Toward the end of his remarks, Mr. Gaspart said that 'breaking the political deadlock' was essential to the airport's immediate future. He then expressed his support for a co-management model involving both the government and the business community, similar to the systems used for Barcelona's trade fair and port.


Programme

The decision about awarding the contract for construction of the south terminal of the Barcelona Airport is an important one. The implications for Barcelona and Catalonia are worthy of debate. This decision is linked to the model of airport we aim to develop and the proposals set forth by the airlines. The option ultimately selected from among the various possibilities should be the one that most benefits the various socioeconomic groups and sectors.

Presenta:
Alberto Marín
President Executive Board ESADE Alumni Tourism Management Club

Moderator:
F. Xavier Mena
Professor in the Department of Economics at ESADE

Speakers:
Joan Gaspart Solves
Member of the Executive Committee of the Barcelona Chamber of Commerce

Carlos Medrano
Expert in Aiport Management

José Mª Llodrà
General Manager of Air Comet

Discussion

Date, time and venue:
Monday, 18th June 2007
7.00 pm
ESADE - ESADEFORUM
Av. Pedralbes, 60-62
Barcelona

For more information:
ESADE Alumni
Tel: 902 420 020