The brakes, for the moment, have been put on the drive to restrict vehicles entering Mallorca, but this week the centre-right ruling Partido Popular party in Mallorca came up with a very interesting point.
The PP criticised the PSOE socialists for demanding limits on vehicles while apparently supporting policies that increase the arrival of tourists by air.
For its part the PP maintains that it is going to leave vehicle limits up to the island councils but it is a complicated and delicate process. However, what it shows is that while the Balearic authorities are able to try and tackle the issue of traffic congestion, which in the case of Palma is a daily problem - hire cars or not - the region has no say in how the airports are run.
For years governments from all sides have tried to get a foot in the door of airport management, only to be locked out. The basic argument is that the Balearic authorities know what the islands need better than the airport authority AENA - based in Madrid and continuing to not only post record revenue figures but also increase operating fees leading to higher airfares. The debate on vehicles is more of a cultural one, Mallorcans love their cars. Air traffic is another - one has to ask just how many tourists does Mallorca need or is the island simply a cash cow for a select few?