The Balearics Aeronautical Foundation wants to create a European Mediterranean Seaplane Office at the Puerto Pollensa air base and therefore turn Puerto Pollensa into a benchmark for aviation in the Mediterranean.
This office, under the direction of the foundation's president, Miquel Buades, envisages the base becoming a maintenance centre for seaplanes as well as a training centre for pilots in the Mediterranean. This would be a centre for specialised engineering and for research and development. Buades says this wouldn't mean that Puerto Pollensa becomes a centre for commercial flights.
A key aspect would be firefighting. "Countries that have the same model of firefighting seaplane - the Canadair - will have a system of mutual support. Currently, other countries cannot be helped as they do not have the same systems," Buades explains.
It is said that the foundation intends carrying out the project to create this office this year. If so, all the necessary permissions will need to be in place, e.g. the ministry of defence and Spain's Aviation Safety and Security Agency.
This is something that has been talked about for several years, and whenever there has been talk, there have been obstacles and objections. Pollensa town hall, although it has no responsibilities for the base or indeed powers for determining uses of Pollensa Bay, has been either for or against, depending on the council's political make-up.
The principal objections have been environmental, and this includes noise.