The Civil Guard has denounced Iberia for the flight between Madrid and Gran Canaria this Sunday, understanding that it failed to comply with the provisions of the state of alarm decree that regulates the distance between passengers. As confirmed by the Civil Guard to Europa Press, the complaint was processed after the proceedings opened on the runway by the Civil Guard agents.
In addition, as revealed, in April the same thing had already happened with two other flights, one of them also from Iberia and another from Air Europa, both bound for the Balearic Islands. In those two cases, it was also the complaints from passengers that motivated the intervention of the Civil Guard.
The first case took place last week on an Iberia flight between Madrid and Ibiza, while the second was recorded shortly after on a flight between Mallorca and Ibiza operated by Air Europa, in which there were more than 40 travelers, which made it impossible to maintain the recommended separation between users. These two complaints were sent to Civil Aviation.
"Ensure maximum separation"
Regarding the new complaint for the flight that arrived this Sunday in the Canary Islands, the Civil Guard refers to the article that states 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".
For its part, Iberia has defended this Monday that it put in place "all the necessary and required initiatives to protect customers and employees on the aforementioned flight, following the recommendations of the regulatory bodies and by the industry". In this regard, it should be remembered that in inter-island flights it has been established that they can only operate at 50% of their capacity, but in connections with the Peninsula it has not been detailed what the occupancy can be, limiting itself to indicating that "the maximum separation" must be ensured.
In this regard, Iberia maintains that "the crews on board ensure the greatest possible separation between passengers, within the limitations of the aircraft". In addition, they refer to what has been raised by "the airline industry, with IATA at the head, as well as the manufacturer Airbus", stating that "they have recently expressed that blocking the central seat is a measure that is not necessary to provide greater security, as the aircraft offers specific characteristics that make the risk of contagion low".
However, the Civil Guard understands that Iberia failed to comply with the provisions of the decree and the same considers the consumer association Facua, which has also filed a complaint for these events.
