The tourism industry in the Balearics is concerned about problems in the European airline sector that could lead to a loss of flights this summer. Following the collapse of the German airline Germania, two tour operators have also filed for bankruptcy - H&H Touristik and Galavital.
In addition to the failure of Germania, there is the situation with Thomas Cook, which is willing to sell off its airline operations and focus its attention on hotel activities. Thomas Cook has different airline divisions, e.g. Condor and Thomas Cook Airlines Balearics. An issue surrounding this possible sale is the condition of the fleet, with aircraft - especially those operated by Condor - considered by the sector to be obsolete.
The director-general of ports and airports in the Balearics, Xavier Ramis, says that each year there is this type of instability in the airline sector but that it is being accentuated this year by ever greater price competition. The government, he adds, is monitoring the situation, which has - where Germania is concerned - shown some sign of correcting itself as other airlines take up routes. TuiFly has, for instance, picked up some 600 Germania flights that were operating out of Nuremburg Airport.