The new Airport Regulation Document (DORA) 2027-2031 lowers the forecasts for Villafría airport to 4,237 passengers in 2031, down from 29,379 estimated for 2026. Cargo is reduced to zero kilos during this period.
Burgos airport, located in Villafría, faces a minimal scenario for the next five years. The Airport Regulation Document (DORA) 2027-2031 prepared by Aena projects that the facility will close this period with 4,237 annual passengers in 2031, a figure that contrasts with the maximum capacity of 300,000 travellers per year that the terminal can accommodate. This information has been published by diariodeburgos.es.
The revision of forecasts means a reduction of more than 25,000 passengers per year compared to the previous DORA, corresponding to the 2022-2026 cycle. That document estimated 29,379 travellers for 2026, but the actual data up to August this year only counts 1,586 passengers, just over 5% of the reference established then.
The drop in traffic is explained by the loss of the only regular route connecting Villafría with Barcelona. Without stable routes, the airport has only surpassed 20,000 passengers once since 2014. The total of all passengers recorded in the last four and a half years amounts to less than half of what was initially contemplated for 2022 alone.
The loss of regular routes and the lack of public and private initiative exhaust the margin
Cargo traffic follows the same trend. The DORA 2022-2026 projected 1,161 kilograms of cargo for this year, a figure that is already minimal, but the new document reduces the forecast to zero kilos for the five years of the 2027-2031 cycle. Aena acknowledged in 2025 that the facility "is prepared to meet the demand for new connections", but assumes that its potential "depends on the strategy of the companies". The airport manager does not take on the task of attracting routes personally.
The manager also does not foresee the stimulation of cargo traffic
Charter flights are the only commercial activity that keeps some life in Villafría. Notable are the operations that have connected the airport with Egypt since last year and the charters scheduled by the Burgos tour operator Marsol this year to Munich during Holy Week and to Alsace during the Immaculate Conception bridge. The Burgos City Council ruled out at the beginning of the term entering a bidding war to attract routes, as other regions do with the support of their regional governments.
In terms of operations, the airport maintains a stable projection thanks to the pilot school that flies daily from the base. By August, nearly 11,800 operations were recorded, a 9% decrease from the previous year, but DORA III maintains upward prospects based on the last few years.
The document details that the Burgos facility ranks at the bottom of occupancy in the national airport network. The great challenge for Villafría is to attract travellers, not so much to promote outbound routes, according to the report.
You may also like
