Balearics ready with its airport management plan

The Balearics have presented the government with a plan to manage the region's airports once the central govermnent releases AENA's control of the country's airports and puts the contracts up for tender. The Balearics has now been joined by seven other autonomous regions in Spain, including the Canaries, Madrid, Valencia, Cataluña and the Basque Country, which want to take over the control of their airports. The new group of regions now accounts for 50 per cent of Spain's airports and 90 per cent of the country's air passenger traffic. While central government opposes the idea of autonomous authorities controlling their airports, Madrid is coming under increasing pressure to consider an alternative management structure which will involve local governments. The autonomous management models include the involvement of local councils, insular councils, the local business sector, chambers of commerce and the unions with the main argument being that the airports will be better managed and be able to meet specific local requirements if managed by local authorities. There are fears of airports being taken over by a large multi-national conglomerate which will ignore the wishes and needs of local communities and business.