Isha Sesay
AIR Nostrum has revealed that it will resume inter-island flights in the Balearic Islands from May 24.
The announcement comes after the airline reached an agreement with the Government of the Balearic Islands to restart flights between Ibiza, Mallorca and Menorca.
After a two-month hiatus due to the COVID-19 lockdown, the initial programme will consist of three daily services between Mallorca and Ibiza, and two between Mallorca and Menorca.
Air Nostrum has been operating continuously in the Balearic Islands since October 1999 until March 28 this year, following the orders of central government to cut its activity amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Revealing the plans, the airline’s president Carlos Bertomeu praised the positive step to ‘return to normality.’
He said: “Without a doubt, this is a significant step towards a return to normality that we all desire.”
The resumption of activity would coincide with the likely entry of Ibiza, Mallorca and Menorca into Phase 2 of the de-escalation plan next week.
At present, citizens are prohibited from travelling to another island in the Balearics unless there is a justification for work, health or repatriation reasons.
Meanwhile, the Minister of Finance, Maria Jesus Montero, has assured that the government will carry out audits on flights in both the Balearic and Canary Islands to ensure airlines do not implement ‘abusive hikes in prices’.
Despite residents benefiting from a 75% discount on travel between the islands and to the peninsula, it was revealed earlier this year that airlines had increased the price of flights by 40% for residents and 7% for non-residents.
“We will monitor the prices of flights that are subsidised by the government of Spain to ensure they are respected at all times,” concluded Montero.
