Laurence Dollimore
A SPANISH minister has called on Ryanair and Aena to settle their dispute after the budget carrier announced it was pulling out of Jerez airport.
The shock move was announced last week and led Aena, Spain’s leading airport operator, to brand it as ‘full-blown blackmail’.
Ryanair announced that flights to Jerez and Valladolid will end, with five other airports having scaled-down schedules.
The Irish carrier complained that fees charged to airlines are too high. Aena disagrees, saying they work out at €10.35 per passenger for the use of runways, walkways, and access to security services.
Now, the tourism minister for the southern region of Andalucia, Arturo Bernal, is demanding both sides to ‘reach an agreement’ that will allow Ryanair to continue its operations in Jerez.
Bernal said the airport is performing well, ‘is not in deficit’ and ‘deserves respect’.
Jerez airport is crucial to the local economy of Cadiz, which is surging in popularity internationally thanks to its beach resorts, which include the ‘surfers’ paradise’ of Tarifa.
Bernal said Ryanair’s flights are ‘essential’ for the tourism industry in Cadiz and that they should not be lost due to ‘commercial disagreements’.
He said the move to pull flights ‘has nothing to do with the conditions of the airport or with the interest or tourist appeal of the destination.’
The minister said a meeting to discuss the issue will be held on February 6.
