MÉS accuses Pedro Sánchez of "ignoring the clamor" against the growth of Palma airport

PalmaMÉS per Palma has criticized the growth model planned for Son Sant Joan airport and has denounced that the new DORA III, the document with which the State sets investments and planning for Aena airports for the next five years, foresees that Palma airport will exceed 35 million passengers in 2031, with an investment of more than 621 million euros. In parallel, MÉS per Mallorca demanded this Monday that airport competencies be transferred and lashed out at Aena, which it described as a "colonial agent".

The eco-sovereignist party has made this criticism public following the mobilization against tourist overcrowding that returned to the streets of Palma on Sunday. According to the National Police, about 4,500 people came out to demonstrate, while the organization placed the attendance between 5,000 and 10,000 protesters

The MÉS per Palma candidate for mayor, David Pujol, considers that the increase in airport capacity goes in the opposite direction to the demands expressed during the protest.

"On Sunday, Mallorca and Palma have said enough is enough again. People are demanding limits and, meanwhile, the PSOE Government is planning for more passengers," stated Pujol. According to the candidate, Palma needs to prioritize access to housing, mobility, and the living conditions of residents instead of continuing to increase the number of visitors.

MÉS demands reducing airport pressure, not opening new routes, and banning private jets, in addition to moving towards a co-management model that allows the Islands to participate in decisions about their airports.

The precedent of the 2021 Aena plan

The municipal spokesperson for MÉS, Neus Truyol, recalled that in 2021, when she was councilor for City Model, Cort rejected Aena's Special Plan for Son Sant Joan. According to the party, that project proposed increasing the airport's buildable surface area by 77%, with an additional 472,211 square meters, and opened the door to a scenario of up to 50 million annual passengers.

"When MÉS had government responsibilities, we did not limit ourselves to talking about massification: we acted. We stood up to Aena and we stopped their plan to expand Son Sant Joan," claimed Truyol.

The spokesperson also criticized the role of the PP at that time and pointed to the mayor of Palma, Jaime Martínez, for the meeting he held with Aena in 2024. MÉS maintains that that meeting served to support the airport's expansion.

33.8 million passengers in 2025

MÉS places the emphasis on the evolution of traffic at Son Sant Joan to argue that the airport is already operating with record figures. In 2024, 33.8 million passengers passed through it, while between January and August of this year, 24.4 million have already passed through, according to the data cited by the party. "The numbers are clear: we have already surpassed pre-pandemic levels and now they are proposing that we continue to grow," stated Truyol.

Pujol has attributed the situation to the decisions of the PP governments in the Islands and the PSOE in Madrid and has linked the increase in tourist pressure to problems such as mobility, access to housing, and the rising cost of living.

"Palma cannot be a backdrop for tourists and millionaires. Palma must belong to the people who live there," concluded the MÉS candidate.

Apesteguia demands airport powers

On the other hand, the spokesperson for MÉS per Mallorca, Lluís Apesteguia, claimed this Monday that the Balearic Islands should have "self-government institutions" capable of deciding on airports, in the face of a company like Aena, which he defined as a "colonial agent" that seeks to extract the "maximum profit".

In a press conference this Monday at the Parliament, Apesteguia stated that the demonstrations on Sunday in Palma and Ibiza against the expansions of the Balearic airports reflect the existence of a "self-organized society that stands up to the interests of the powerful".

He lamented that Aena, despite still having a majority of state capital, is dedicated to "distributing dividends from the Ibex35".