Canaries achieves that Aena paralyzes the implementation of paid parking for buses

The general director of Transport and Mobility of the Government of the Canary Islands, María Fernández, has managed to get Aena to halt the implementation of the new paid parking system for buses at the archipelago's airports and open a negotiation process with administrations and the sector to adapt its application to the island reality. The agreement, reached at a meeting held this Tuesday at Tenerife South Airport, will allow reviewing the system's operation before its definitive implementation and establishing a joint work schedule to define the necessary adjustments.

The meeting was attended by Aena officials, the Minister of Transport of the Cabildo de Tenerife, Eulalia García; the Minister of Transport and Mobility of the Cabildo de Lanzarote, Miguel Ángel Jiménez; the president of the Federation of Transport Entrepreneurs (FET), Agustín Espino, and the general secretary of the FET, José Ángel Hernández, who analyzed the implementation of the new bus access and parking system and agreed on a roadmap to adapt it to the operational particularities of Canarian airports.

During the meeting, Aena conveyed its apologies for the way the implementation of the new system was managed and confirmed that the planned charge for bus waiting time will not be applied during 2026. Meanwhile, the barriers will remain operational only to collect data to evaluate the system's operation and reach a consensus on the measures that can be implemented starting in 2027. 

Likewise, the parties have agreed to establish a monitoring table that will hold meetings during the months of October, November, and December, with the participation of Aena, the General Directorate of Transport and Mobility, the seven island cabildos, and representatives of the sector, to analyze the data obtained and define the necessary improvements before the definitive implementation of the system.

The general director of Transport and Mobility, María Fernández, has valued the outcome of the meeting and has thanked "the apologies conveyed by Aena and its willingness to halt the measure and rethink the planned calendar, as well as the formula adapted to each island reality." "The important thing is that a space for dialogue has been opened to analyze, with objective data, what is the best solution to organize the functioning of airports without harming collective transport or mobility in the Canary Islands," she pointed out.

Fernández recalled that the Government of the Canary Islands had been demanding for months that any modification of this type should be addressed in airport coordination bodies and with the participation of administrations and the sector. "We did not question the objective of improving the management of airport spaces, but rather that a measure designed homogeneously for the entire territory was applied without taking into account the reality of the Canary Islands and without having been previously discussed with those who would be affected," she indicated.

The general director also highlighted that Aena has committed to conditioning the waiting area enabled for buses, providing it with adequate services such as shaded areas and restrooms, in order to improve the working conditions of drivers and professionals in the sector.

The Minister of Transport of the Cabildo de Tenerife, Eulalia García, explained that "from the first moment, the Cabildo showed its disagreement with this measure, adopted by AENA unilaterally and without consensus, and which, furthermore, affected regular public transport. That is why we promoted meetings with both the airport management and representatives of the sector and unions to redirect this situation. Today, the demands we had been conveying have been heard, and a first step has been taken to find a consensual solution."

García emphasized that "from the Cabildo, we have made a firm commitment to collective transport as a key tool to improve mobility on the island, and we cannot allow decisions of this type to represent a step backward. It was essential to open a space for dialogue that would allow this measure to be analyzed with all involved parties and adapted to the operational reality of the airport."

For his part, the Councilor for Transport and Mobility of the Cabildo de Lanzarote and La Graciosa, Miguel Ángel Jiménez, thanked AENA for its receptiveness and highlighted the importance of the agreement reached. “We have conveyed a concern shared by administrations and the transport sector, as this measure was generating operational problems that affected both companies and mobility in the airport environment. We appreciate that AENA has addressed this request and has chosen to temporarily suspend charges while we work together on a definitive solution.”

The sector will participate in the follow-up to improve operations

The president of the Federation of Transport Entrepreneurs (FET), José Agustín Espino, has valued the agreement reached and has indicated that it will allow work to be done over the next few months to improve the organization of airport operations before adopting definitive decisions.

During the meeting, sector representatives conveyed the main difficulties generated by the implementation of the system, including delays recorded at accesses, increased waiting times, and the economic impact it has on transport companies. Likewise, they have argued that buses provide an essential service for the functioning of airports and that waiting times respond, in many cases, to circumstances inherent to airport operations and beyond the control of transport companies. 

Espino also highlighted that the sector will actively participate in the follow-up meetings planned for the coming months, contributing its experience to help design a model that improves the organization of accesses without harming service provision.