Airport scraps expansion as planes 'can't fly over Messi's house'

Lionel Messi's popularity has led to the scrapping of Barcelona's El Prat airport expansion plan.

Lionel Messi's mansion is situated in the coastal town of Castelldefels.

Lionel Messi's popularity has led to the scrapping of Barcelona's El Prat airport expansion plan because it would have increased air traffic over the star footballer's house.

His mansion is situated in the coastal town of Castelldefels, where a report in espn.in says the project of adding a new runway near the towns of Gava and Castelldefels was rejected for environmental and financial reasons.

However, the president of Spanish airline Vueling, Javier Sanchez-Prieto had a different take to this, and was quoted saying, "You cannot pass over where Messi lives. This doesn't happen anywhere else in the world."

It was also reported of Messi buying his neighbour's house last year to keep the noise level down around his home. His Barcelona team-mates Luis Suarez and Philippe Coutinho also live close to his mansion.