Aena has started work on a new rapid-exit taxiway for runway 02/20 at Josep Tarradellas Barcelona-El Prat airport, a €3.1 million project due to take about 12 and a half months. The link to taxiway T4 is designed to let arriving aircraft leave the runway faster, improving safety and operational efficiency while reducing time in the air, on the ground and during manoeuvring.
The project forms part of planned airfield upgrades at one of Spain’s busiest airports. It will include new pavement, drainage, lighting and electrical systems, but it will not increase declared airport capacity. Instead, it is intended to make runway use more efficient and help with configuration changes when needed.
Construction will require temporary runway and taxiway closures, with the most disruptive work scheduled overnight. The main capacity hit is expected between 16 and 26 November, when runways 02/20 and 06L/24R will be closed and the airport will operate with a single runway, cutting around 1,441 slots, or about 15% of normal capacity.