Palma.—The Balearic Minister for Tourism, Jaime Martinez, told local MPs in Parliament yesterday that the part privatisation of Spanish airport authority AENA, will lead to Balearic airport operating taxes, landing fees etc. being frozen for the period of ten years.
“This is a measure that none of our competitors would be able to match and would obviously work in the interests of the general public,” he proclaimed.
The opposition parties are wary about what benefits private investment in the airports would bring. Some fear that it would actually lead to an increase in operating costs and a reduction in staff with investors wanting the maximum return on their money.
And, this is what AENAstaff have called 29 days of industrial action throughout the summer.
But Martinez, fresh from the FITUR Travel Trade Fair in Madrid, where the privatisation of AENA was high on the agenda, pointed out that in countries like Germany and France, private participation in the management of airports is being encouraged and is working. The high costs and lack of flexibility from summer to winter in operating costs at Balearic airports is one of the reasons that winter flights programmes are slashed, especially from the UK.