Palma airport expansion row: MÉS warns on housing

A planned expansion for more passengers at Palma, Mallorca’s Son Sant Joan Airport will pile further pressure on homes, traffic and household bills, MÉS per Palma said on Monday, 21 September. The party accused Spain’s central government of brushing aside opposition to tourist overcrowding. Its mayoral candidate David Pujol said Palma needs affordable homes and streets that do not become traffic bottlenecks, rather than more tourism.

MÉS per Palma also blamed the Partido Popular in the Balearic Islands and the PSOE in Madrid for what it calls tourist overcrowding, saying neither has changed course when decisions are made.

Calls to curb airport pressure

Pujol wants pressure at the airport reduced, no new routes opened and private jets banned. He also called for progress towards shared management of the airport.

He said the effects of overcrowding can be felt in getting around the city, finding a home and meeting everyday costs. Paying for a home or filling the fridge is becoming harder, he warned.

Earlier airport plan returns to the argument

Municipal spokeswoman Neus Truyol pointed to a 2021 decision by Palma City Council to reject a special plan from airport operator Aena. It would have increased the airport’s buildable area by 77 per cent, adding nearly 472,000 square metres.

Truyol said MÉS stopped that plan while it was in government. She said the Partido Popular backed the expansion in 2021, and that Palma’s current mayor, Jaime Martínez, held a meeting in 2024 to support it.

Topics: Tourism · Politics · Palma · Sant Joan

Source: Europa Press / Mallorca.com