A hundred tourism companies ask the Government to reject the increase in AENA fees

They denounce that raising the fees "exceptionally" above 1%, as established by law, is a "more than questionable" decision.

August 3 2023 (14:52 WEST)
British tourists at the check-in lines of César Manrique Airport. Flights.
British tourists at the check-in lines of César Manrique Airport. Flights.

The Tourism Board of Spain, a business association that brings together about a hundred companies in the tourism sector - including many of the largest in the country - has asked the Minister of Transport, Raquel Sánchez, that the Council of Ministers reject the 4.09% increase in airport fees announced by the airport manager Aena for March 2024.

Aena's board of directors approved on July 25 the tariff proposal applicable from March 1, 2024, setting the maximum annual income adjusted per passenger (IMAAJ) for the coming year at 10.35 euros, which represents a variation of 4.09% compared to the 2023 data, which was 9.95 euros per traveler.

The increase, according to professionals in the sector, "would automatically lead to an increase in air tickets for travelers" and would mean "a new setback" to maintain the competitiveness of the Spanish tourism sector, which "is once again, the main engine of employment recovery and the Spanish economy."

The group points out that 82% of international tourists arrive in Spain by plane and in some of the main tourist destinations, such as the two archipelagos, air transport is essential for tourism and the economy of the islands, as well as a guarantee of mobility for the residents themselves.

The Board believes that Aena's decision to raise the fees "exceptionally" above 1%, as established by applicable law, to "pass on extraordinary costs", is a decision "more than questionable", especially in an inflationary context, with air prices strained by rising fuel and operating costs borne by airlines.

"The tourism sector is assuming a large part of the increase in costs to the detriment of its results in order to consolidate demand," it adds. Therefore, "it is not reasonable" for a state-owned commercial company, such as Aena, "not to do the same" to favor the necessary recovery, "even more so taking into account the good results of the first semester, which have led the company to announce the distribution of dividends," says the president of the Tourism Board, Juan Molas.

The Board thus supports the positions of the Association of Airlines (ALA) and several tourism business associations of the Canary and Balearic Islands.

 

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