- The main investments will be in safety and security initiatives such as runway works and taxiway redesigns.
- This operation is in line with the EIB Transport Lending Policy, which prioritises investments to improve the resilience of existing transport infrastructure.
- The signed loan is the third tranche of an EIB financing approved in 2022 totalling €800 million.
The European Investment Bank (EIB) and Aena have signed a €140 million loan to finance improvements to safety and operational resilience at Spanish airports. The funds will also go to innovation and information technology projects across Aena’s airport network in Spain and its headquarters in Madrid.
The main investments to be financed by the EIB are safety and security initiatives, including runway works and taxiway redesigns in line with the latest updates from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), and upgrades to aircraft parking stand lighting systems.
The financing will also be used for investments like those related to the rehabilitation of airside pavements, emergency control system upgrades, the replacement of passenger boarding bridges, and the supply and installation of safety filter equipment.
Other Aena projects eligible for these funds are those based on information technology (process automation, cybersecurity, database management, building information modelling -BIM- and software acquisition and licensing) and innovation (biometric equipment, development of a data-driven platform and processes related to the digital customer experience and passenger terminal efficiency).
The operation is in line with the EIB Transport Lending Policy, which prioritises investments to improve the sustainability and resilience of existing transport infrastructure, along with investments in new sustainable mobility projects. The project also falls under the EIB Group’s sustainable cities and regions, and innovation, digital and human capital public policy goals.
Around one-third of the funds will be spent on developing Aena airport facilities located in Spanish regions that the European Union classifies as less developed, where the gross domestic product per capita is less than 75% of the EU average. As a result, the operation is also an important one for promoting social and economic cohesion and helping to reduce regional inequalities and promote investment in less developed areas.
The signed loan of €140 million is the third tranche of an EIB financing approved in 2022 totalling €800 million.
Background information
The European Investment Bank (EIB) is the long-term lending institution of the European Union owned by its Member States. It makes long-term finance available for sound investment in order to contribute towards EU policy goals.
The European Investment Bank Group (EIB Group), consisting of the European Investment Bank (EIB) and the European Investment Fund (EIF), reported total financing signatures of €11.4 billion for Spain in 2023. In terms of its total activity, the EIB Group signed €88 billion in new financing for over 900 projects in 2023. These commitments are expected to mobilise around €320 billion in investment, supporting 400,000 companies and 5.4 million jobs.
The EIB and sustainable transport
The EIB finances projects that drive greener, safer and more accessible transport, in line with its Transport Lending Policy, updated in July 2022 following the adoption of the Climate Bank Roadmap and the European Green Deal. This policy sets the investment priorities needed to surmount the challenges facing the transport sector, and those most apt to power the shift to a more sustainable model. Sustainable transport is based on four interdependent pillars: It must be safe, accessible, green and efficient.
Find out more about the EIB’s support for the transport sector here.