The public dispute between the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and Spanish airport operator AENA continues, with IATA releasing a statement of “outrage” at remarks made by Maurici Lucena, Chairman and CEO of AENA.
IATA is alluding to comments suggesting that airlines calling for airport charges reductions were “compromising safety and security,” and that airlines seek “excessively cheap infrastructure,” however the source of these remarks is unstated and unclear.
“Safety is the number one priority of airlines and the whole aviation industry,” said Willie Walsh, IATA’s Director General. “That the Chairman of AENA would misunderstand this is yet another indication that he is isolated from the fundamental realities of aviation—including both safety and economics. The legitimate concern of airlines for cost-efficient airport charges is in no way related to any compromise on the safety and security of passengers and aviation employees. Such scaremongering is highly inappropriate and shows the flimsy grounds AENA have for justifying their request for a 16% charges increase.”
IATA’s discontent went on to reiterate the points from its previous open letter: that AENA has made EUR 1.32 billion more in returns than it should have. The first statement was released following AENA’s plans to raise airport charges by 3.8%, which IATA and ALA, the Spanish airline association, claimed was unjust, suggesting a reduced rate instead.
Walsh continued: “Airlines have consistently called for airport charges to reflect the reality of passenger growth, appropriate investment, and a reasonable rate of return. Airlines face rising regulatory and environmental costs, supply chain constraints, volatile fuel prices, on top of increasing airport and ATC charges.”
“Despite these challenges, airlines have delivered ever-more affordable connectivity for Spain. Adjusting for inflation, air fares have decreased by 9% since 2019. Across the 15 largest Spanish airports, a decrease in the real airfare of 6% to 37% has occurred over the last decade. Against this backdrop, rigorous scrutiny of airport charges is not only legitimate but necessary to ensure connectivity remains affordable for consumers and sustainable for the wider economy.”
Photo: AENA
