Spain's Aena airports support over 8,000 organ transplant flights in a decade

Spain’s airport operator Aena has facilitated more than 8,000 air operations for organ transplants between 2015 and 2025, according to the National Transplant Organization (ONT). The activity rose from 602 flights in 2015 to 1,000 in 2025, a 66 % increase. In 2025 alone, Aena airports handled 2,389 take‑offs and landings linked to organ and medical‑equipment transfers.

To meet urgent demand, the ONT requested 143 extensions of airport operating hours and 21 extraordinary airport openings during 2025. Sevilla Airport recorded the most extensions (18), followed by Córdoba (16) and A Coruña and Murcia Region (14 each). The most engaged airports included Madrid‑Barajas, Barcelona‑El Prat, Valencia, Sevilla, A Coruña, Bilbao, Murcia Region, Palma de Mallorca, Córdoba and Málaga‑Costa del Sol. These figures illustrate the role of Spain’s civil aviation network as a critical infrastructure for time‑sensitive medical logistics, enabling organs, patients and equipment to reach hospitals promptly even outside regular schedules.