It was confirmed yesterday that there was a 4.09% increase in airport taxes compared to March. central government, has preliminary opposition from the Canary Islands Administration, airlines and the tourism industry. The regional government complains that it does not agree with this decision to increase the changes in Canarian airports; because it is the only way to enter and exit the Islands, not only for tourists but also for those living on the Islands. Those living outside the archipelago, the Canary Islands or those who come to the Canary Islands for business purposes. “There is no plan B here with alternative means of transport, airports are strategic and should be exempt from rate increases,” he warns Director General of Transport María Fernández.
Moreover Tourism Minister Jessica de León, He remembers meeting in October. Maurici Lucena, CEO of AenaHe conveyed to him the necessity of exempting the Canary Islands from this rate increase proposed by the airport operator to the Ministry of Transport and the National Markets and Competition Commission (CNMC). “Airports are elements of territorial integrity and the price of this increase will be borne by the inhabitants of the Islands and also by tourists,” de León warns.
Transport Minister Óscar PuentePuente confirmed at a public event yesterday that the rise in rates was “relentless” but would still remain below 2019 rates. Puente emphasized that some incentives and elements that “could be very interesting, especially for airlines” will be implemented in order to develop international traffic to regional airports. The Minister also noted that there has been no increase in airport taxes in the last 4 years, and there has been a 15 percent increase in CPI since 2019. He reminded that this increase was equivalent to 40 cents per passenger.
From the aviation industry, Airlines Association (ALA) We regret that Aena’s proposal goes against what the Union wanted, which proposed a tariff freeze or, failing that, a modest increase of 1.5%. For airlines, “In an environment where there are still indebted airlines despite the recovery of pre-crisis air traffic and the profitability of airlines is still very high, this decision does not harm the competitiveness of the sector and reduces its strength.” Low. “This increase does not contribute to the strengthening of the sector, tourism and the economy as a whole.”
From the tourism sector, José María Mañaricua, president of the Las Palmas business associationRecalling that Canary airports are the most profitable airports in the Aena network and the only means of transport for travel to the Islands, he said: “We do not understand why the increase applies equally to the Canary Islands as to the rest of the country’s airports.” It is an extra cost for tickets that needs to be added. The increase in connection costs is hurting the arrival of tourists,” says the business leader.
Mañaricua aligns with the regional government that the Islands’ “different reality” prevails as air tax increases are implemented following the freeze in recent years. In this sense, Director General of Transport María Fernández emphasizes: Autonomy Status It gives the Canary Islands the right to participate in “the development of such policies so that they are adapted and sized to the reality of a most remote region such as the Canary Islands”, because an increase of 4% may be low in the continental context, but here it has a greater impact ». Fernández stated that a study will be conducted on the impact of this increase on the demand for “exceptionality” or “modulation” of fees at Canarian airports.
According to Tourism Minister Jéssica de León, the increase in rates came at a “bad time” due to uncertainty marked by “inflation fluctuations”, the coming into force of emission rights or the technical recession in Germany.
Source: Informacion
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