Traffic congestion at Palma Son Sant Joan Airport on Friday morning was the result of a protest by minibuses operating at the airport.
The issue with 'pirate' minibus operators at the airport appeared to have been resolved last summer when there was an agreement with taxi drivers. However, this wasn't an official agreement approved by the Balearic mobility ministry. There are minibuses not observing ministry rules. The protest action was sparked off by inspectors who had imposed fines related to three vehicles.
A number of minibuses were involved in the protest - driving very slowly on roads in the airport grounds and thus causing delays to taxis, coaches and other vehicles. This lasted for around half an hour. Taxi and coach drivers themselves had to start coordinating traffic in order to speed things up.
The government's director-general for mobility, Lorena del Valle, blamed minibuses engaged in illegal activity for the chaos. The action was a response to the ministry's campaign to stamp it out.