The Audiencia Nacional high court in Madrid has issued a scathing assessment of the attempt by environmentalists GOB to halt expansion works at Palma Son Sant Joan Airport.
GOB's legitimacy to act in this manner has been denied. "It is unacceptable to claim legitimacy to act procedurally without having challenged a single administrative act." The organization, in the court's view, "has artificially pre-constituted an alibi to get into court".
In 2020, GOB sent a letter to the airports authority AENA and the air navigation company Enaire calling for cancellation or suspension of the contract for the runway redevelopment works and the construction of new rapid exit lanes. They argued that there was no environmental impact statement to support them. There was no response, and so GOB filed an appeal with the Audiencia Nacional.
This was refused and GOB were ordered to pay costs, the reason having been the vagueness of the submissions and the failure to specify which decision they considered to be illegal.
The court accused GOB of having used "a trick" to "question and attack, in the manner of a general inquisition, acts of the contracting procedure". "Nothing justifies the generic and comprehensive request to Enaire to suspend the proceedings by anyone who was not party to them."
The court adds that these were strategic projects for AENA. "Its functions include the design and development of projects, so its exercise cannot be controlled by a generic request to halt airport works without having challenged specific projects or contracting procedures."
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