Passenger traffic at Barajas airport rises for first time in over two years

The number of passengers handled by Madrid’s Barajas airport climbed 1.5 percent in February from a year earlier, Public Works Minister Ana Pastor said Tuesday. She did not provide an absolute figure.

Since passenger traffic began to dwindle Barajas has lost more than 10 million customers. The problem has been attributed to falling numbers of visitors to the Spanish capital, both tourists and business people, high fees charged to airlines and competition from the high-speed train network.

Barajas has suffered the biggest falls in traffic of all major European hubs, while El Prat in Barcelona has enjoyed an increase in numbers.