Private jet activity in Spain is back under the spotlight and any moves to restrict it will have a very negative impact on the Balearics, in particular Mallorca and Ibiza.
For the time being, Spain has announced it will ban some short-haul domestic flights that are quicker by train to reduce carbon emissions, and idea central government has been toying with since last year when France took the first step against domestic flights in Europe.
It is part of the country’s plan to reduce carbon emissions and is part of an agreement made in Congress by Spain’s coalition government.
Spain has been considering a ban since 2021 as part of its 2050 climate action plan. Flights with a rail alternative that takes less than two and a half hours will no longer be allowed “except in cases of connection with hub airports that link with international routes”.
The text agreed by the two political parties - PSOE and Sumar - also seeks to analyse the potential impact of restricting private jet use.
Figures for Palma Son Sant Joan Airport indicate that 15,250 planes used the private jet terminal between January and November last year.
Over the course of the year, movement of private jets and air taxis pointed to Mallorca having become the preferred destination for European luxury tourism in the Mediterranean.
In high summer, there were 2,383 and 2,081 flights in July and August respectively. In June, there were 2,130, up from 1,835 in 2021, which was the previous record for the month. Although there were in fact decreases in the numbers of flights in July and August last year compared with 2021, there was an increase of 75% compared with 2019.
Ibiza is not far behind Palma; the total number of flights in 2022 is forecast to be over 15,000.
Private jet traffic in the Balearics has become a political issue in that questions and proposals have been lodged with the European Commission regarding the increase in flights at Palma and Ibiza airports and their impact on emissions.
There have been calls for a tax on the fuel used by private planes and a reduction in the number of flights.
Palma and Ibiza are among Europe’s top ten in terms of private flights.