Mallorca faces 2m more passengers in Aena airport plan

Mallorca could receive up to two million more air passengers under Aena forecasts, prompting the island’s tourism chief to demand a say over airport decisions. Guillem Ginard, tourism councillor at the Council of Mallorca, criticised the proposals on Thursday in Palma. He said the island would bear the impact while decisions were taken in Madrid.

The forecast appears in DORA III, Aena’s airport regulation document, which sets out expected passenger growth at airports across the Balearic Islands. Mallorca accounts for up to two million of the additional passengers envisaged.

Call for a seat at the table

Ginard said Balearic institutions must be told about and consulted on airport policy before it is presented. He called for genuine joint management of the airports, arguing that Mallorca cannot deal with the effects of rising passenger numbers without influence over the decisions behind them.

He urged a united front to secure that role. Mallorca, he said, should not be treated as Aena’s cash register: it is an island with limited land and resources, made up of 53 municipalities.

PSIB accused of mixed message

Ginard also attacked the PSIB over what he called a contradiction. He said the party backs demonstrations and calls in Mallorca for tourism restraint, including fewer accommodation places, but supports increases in tourists and air passengers in Madrid.

The airport is Mallorca’s main gateway, Ginard said, and decisions about it should not be made in Madrid alone.

Topics: Protests · Tourism · Politics · Economy

Source: Europa Press / Mallorca.com