The Council of Ministers has approved a new contract of €14.3 million to ensure air connections between Badajoz and Madrid, declared a Public Service Obligation. The service will be provided until October 2028 and will be financed by the Junta de Extremadura.
The Junta de Extremadura will fund a new air services contract that will maintain the Badajoz-Madrid route (and the Badajoz-Barcelona route) until 27 October 2028. The Council of Ministers authorised the tender for a maximum amount of €14.3 million (excluding VAT), an expenditure that will be borne by the Extremadura regional government under the agreement signed with the Ministry of Transport.
More flexible timings for travellers
The new terms include changes to the route to Madrid, approved in Order TRM/473/2026 on 5 May. From 28 October 2026, the first flight of the day must arrive in Madrid before 9:00 hours (or in Badajoz before 10:00, depending on the direction). The last flight, on the other hand, will depart from Badajoz with less than one hour before the closure of Badajoz airport, or will land with a minimum margin of 30 minutes.
According to the Ministry, these adjustments will allow passengers to extend their stay at the destination during the same day, facilitating travel for work, administrative or personal reasons. For the traveller leaving Madrid, it means being able to return later, gaining useful time in the Extremadura capital.
The route to Barcelona maintains five weekly frequencies
On the Badajoz-Barcelona connection, a minimum of five weekly round-trip frequencies is required, although the regulations allow the operator to increase them if deemed appropriate. The current contract already offered this number, so there are no substantial changes, but the continuity of the service is guaranteed.
The cost of maintaining these routes has risen by 23% compared to the previous contract, as explained in May by the spokesperson for the Junta de Extremadura, Elena Manzano. The increase in fuel prices and the rise in operating costs account for this increase. Thus, the regional government will assume a deficit of up to €7.15 million per year to ensure the operation.
A key link for territorial cohesion
The Badajoz-Madrid and Badajoz-Barcelona routes are declared Public Service Obligations (PSO), a mechanism that allows for the maintenance of air connections deemed necessary for territorial cohesion even if they are not profitable on their own through ticket sales. For citizens of the Community of Madrid, this route is a common option for travelling to Extremadura for work or tourism, and its continuity prevents reliance solely on train or road transport.
The new contract will come into effect immediately after the current one ends, without interruption. The Ministry of Transport has already begun the procedures for the tender, which will be resolved in the coming months. In the meantime, tickets for the summer season of 2026 continue to be sold normally.
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