The Minister of Industry, Tourism and Commerce of the Government of the Canary Islands, Yaiza Castilla, has this Monday claimed the incorporation of the Canary Islands to the Board of Directors of the airport manager Aena, taking into account the importance that air transport has for the Canary archipelago and its dependence on connectivity.
At the Tourism Forum organized by Europa Press, the Minister stated this Monday in Madrid that the incorporation to the Board of the airport manager is a historical demand of the Canary Islands that considers very necessary for the participation in the decision making.
"I believe that we have to continue demanding the presence of the Canary Islands on the Board of Directors of Aena. The Canary Islands airports mean a lot at an economic level for that company," argued the Canary Islands Minister, reiterating the need to have more information and control of its airport network.
The Minister assured that at this moment "there is no negotiation" for a reduction of airport fees with the manager, despite the fact that this is an element that affects "to a greater or lesser extent" the final decision of the price of the ticket of the different airlines, as well as the decision making in the field of the tourist.
However, for the moment she is committed to focusing on obtaining some type of incentives "more direct and faster" to the tourism sector that would also serve "when negotiating with tour operators".
"It would be a great relief from the Central Government to take into account once and for all the uniqueness of the Canary Islands and provide us with those necessary resources and facilities," Castilla demanded, even proposing that this not be "a permanent decision", but temporary, until pre-pandemic levels are recovered.
At this point, the Minister has requested incentives for connectivity and economic mechanisms that allow the implementation of differentiated marketing actions for the archipelago, "that allow the Canary Islands to be in equal conditions when negotiating with other autonomous communities."
