The document stipulates that the aircraft used must have between 100 and 180 seats, and that the successful airlines will have to operate up to 208 annual frequencies depending on the destination. Around 20 of the connections will be entirely new, allowing the airport to restore links with Paris, Düsseldorf and Venice, as well as launch routes for the first time to Switzerland, Poland, Hungary, Czechia, Slovakia and Bulgaria.
The joint objective of the Government of Aragon and Zaragoza City Council is to equip the airport with 24 international and eight domestic routes, five of them to the Balearic and Canary Islands, coinciding with the start of the summer season in March 2027. To encourage airlines to operate from Zaragoza, both administrations will mobilize up to €63.4 million between 2027 and 2032. The Government of Aragon will provide most of the funding, €42.8 million, while the city council will contribute €20.5 million.
According to the tender documents, the initial operating period will begin on March 28, 2027, and run until March 25, 2028, with the possibility of extending it for up to four more years, that is, until 2032.
MILAN ROUTE HAS THE MOST EXPENSIVE TENDER
The base tender budget amounts to €8.8 million per year, including VAT, and the allocation by destination reveals significant differences. Milan stands out as both the most sought-after and the most expensive route, with a tender value of €691,805, followed closely by London, Warsaw, Paris and Budapest, each at €460,000. At the other end of the scale are the domestic destinations, with Ibiza (€51,279) and Mallorca (€61,141) the most economical, well below international routes such as Bucharest and Rome, which are around €153,000. Most of the payment will be distributed across two financial years, with €6.5 million in 2027 and €2.2 million in 2028, although the tender allows for deviations of up to 20% of the contract and several possible extensions.
One of the main objectives of the Aragonese administration is to persuade an airline to establish a permanent base in Zaragoza with at least one aircraft stationed in the city. To encourage that decision, a specific bonus of more than €450,000 per year, including VAT, has been designed and would be added to the amounts already budgeted. With this bonus included, the project's total cost rises to €63.4 million, to be paid in six annual installments, concentrated mainly between 2028 and 2031, with average annual payments of around €13 million.
