PALMA
BALEARIC President Francesc Antich said yesterday that he was just astounded that Central Government is considering cutting air travel discounts for Balearic European Union residents.
Antich said that on Monday evening, he and regional Transport Minister, Gabriel Vicens, will be holding a meeting in Madrid with the Secretary of State for Transport, Concepción Gutiérrez, to try and prevent any cuts being made.
Speaking after a meeting of the Balearic government, Antich said that he would simply not accept that the inter-island air links and connections with the mainland be undermined through the removal of fare subsidies.
The President pointed out that the discounts currently enjoyed by European Union residents in the Balearics are not a privilege, but rather a measure to put the costs of travel on an equal footing with fares paid by people living in other parts of Spain.
Antich said that the first item on the agenda at the meeting on Monday will be to make it clear that the money for the discounts is a necessity. The President added that there will also be an analysis of why flights to and from the Balearics are more expensive than in other regions of the country.
Regional Minister Vicens confirmed that flights are 37 percent more expensive in the Islands than elsewhere in Spain but that this percentage goes up to 50 in the case of Minorca, Ibiza and Formentera. Vicens acknowledged that the matter is quite complex and that the Balearic government would remain open to suggestions.
Vicens also pointed out that the air fare controversy is even more acute for residents in the Balearics who are not members of the European Union, and who therefore as yet receive no discount for inter-island flights or connections with the mainland.
Antich claimed that the meeting would also be an opportunity to talk calmly about other issues related to travel such as the formal declaration of a public air service.