FACUA-Consumers in Action has filed a complaint against Iberia with the State Aviation Safety Agency (AESA) for failing to comply with the passenger separation requirements established due to the state of alarm on a Madrid-Gran Canaria flight.
Several passengers on that flight made the facts known this Sunday through Twitter. "The plane is almost completely full and there is not even a seat separating passengers. This is a disgrace," tweeted Efrén Hernández, who uploaded a video with images of passengers complaining to a cabin crew member. "We are going to take off with the plane full", "without complying with the safety distances at all", Teresa Marín related in another video published on her Twitter account, where she complained about the "outrageous" situation.
In its complaint, FACUA requests AESA to open an investigation into Iberia's practices and a sanctioning file for what happened.
Royal Decree 463/2020, of March 14, which declares a state of alarm for the management of the health crisis situation caused by Covid-19, establishes in its article 14 a series of "measures regarding transport". In its number 2, letter g, it indicates that "in those services in which the ticket grants a seated place or cabin, the transport operators will take the necessary measures to ensure the maximum possible separation between passengers". However, unlike the regulation approved for flights between islands, in this case it was not detailed how these measures should be adopted.
Iberia assures that it "complies"
For its part, Iberia assures that it has launched "all the necessary and required initiatives to protect customers and employees, recommended by regulatory bodies and by the industry." Among these measures, the obligation to wear masks stands out, both by passengers and by the crew on board.
Regarding safety distances, it refers to what "the airline industry, with IATA at the head, as well as the manufacturer Airbus" has raised, stating that "they have recently expressed that blocking the central seat is a measure that is not necessary to provide greater security, as the plane offers specific characteristics that make the risk of contagion low".
"Unlike other public transport, in the cabin of airplanes the air is renewed every three minutes and the use of HEPA filters eliminates viruses and bacteria with an effectiveness of 99.99%", the airlines justify.
Even so, Iberia adds that "the crews on board ensure the greatest possible separation between passengers, within the limitations of the plane" and that "the cleaning of the aircraft has been reinforced and movements within the aircraft have been reduced".