The Government attacks Aena for the 'Malle' banner: "They have put an end to our patience, they are laughing at the islanders"

PalmaThe Government has once again lashed out at Aena over the advertising campaign located at Palma airport, which it considers to be encouraging excessive tourism. The Executive has taken the opportunity to advocate for the airport co-management law – pending approval in Congress – as a tool to have more decision-making capacity in situations like this.

“Aena has run out of patience with this Government and is running out of patience with that of the citizens”, stated the Government spokesperson, Antoni Costa, at the press conference following the Governing Council. The statements come after the airport operator denied that the advertising banner encourages this type of tourism and argued that the airport does not generate demand, but rather the destination does.

Costa has announced that the PP will register a request for the appearance of the president of Aena, Maurici Lucena, in Parliament, even though he is not obliged to attend. In this context, he defended the need to promote the airport co-management law already approved in the Chamber and which must continue its processing in Congress.

The president of the Government, Marga Prohens, has transferred the content of this legislative initiative to the state PP, according to the spokesperson, who stressed that it is a "necessary" law with the party's support.

The first vice-president of the Executive has accused Aena of acting against the Government's tourist containment strategy, which – as he said – responds to the demands of residents. "It is an immense shame. It cannot be that efforts are made to change the pattern of tourist growth and that there are people who go in the totally opposite direction," he stated.

For Costa, Aena "only dedicates itself to doing business" and pointed out the massive presence of advertising in the baggage claim area of Son Sant Joan as an example. "They have turned the airports of the Islands into their main revenue stream," he said.

He also referred to the expansion of Ibiza airport proposed by Aena, which he described as aimed at increasing passenger arrivals and without prior consultation with the institutions of the Archipelago.

“They laugh at the citizens”, Costa has stated, who has reproached the PSIB for its “echoing silence” and has thanked MÉS per Mallorca and Més per Menorca – who have also requested the poster be removed – for their “coherence”.

However, the Government insists on demanding the removal of the banner and calls for a public apology from Aena's president, Maurici Lucena, to the citizens of the Balearic Islands.