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Bus-Led Rebound Lifts Spain’s Public Transport to 5.78 Billion Trips in 2025

New Aena figures highlight slower growth at Barcelona–El Prat under capacity limits, with sharply uneven results across regional airports.

Overview

  • INE data show 5.784 billion public‑transport trips in 2025, a 3.7% annual increase, with urban services carrying the majority of journeys.
  • Buses transported about 3.572 billion passengers last year, rising more than 6% to roughly 62% of all collective trips.
  • Rail performance diverged in 2025, as medium‑distance traffic nearly doubled, Cercanías fell about 3%, and high‑speed long‑distance edged up 1.7%.
  • January 2026 figures indicate Madrid–Barajas hit a monthly record with 5.38 million passengers (+3.5%) while Barcelona–El Prat grew 3% with slightly fewer flights, reflecting capacity pressure noted by Aena.
  • Regional air traffic split further in January: Santiago fell 29.2% year on year, A Coruña rose 4%, and Almería climbed 11.7% on expanded UK links.