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STAFF REPORTER DESPITE a Spanish Airports Authority (AENA) report published yesterday confirming that the country's airports are handling less passengers, Palma airport remained the third busiest in Spain during the first seven months of this year.

According to AENA, 106.7 million people landed at Spanish airports from January through to July, an 11.5 percent drop on figures for 2008. Passenger aircraft operations (1.2 million) were down by 12.5 percent and freight movement was down by 17.7 percent with a total of 304'506 tonnes being transported by air.

In July alone, the 215'382 aircraft movements at Spanish airports was a 9.5 percent drop on the same month in 2008. Barajas airport in Madrid was the busiest in the country, handling 39'024 flights, a downturn of 6.2 percent on the same month last year. In second place last month was El Prat airport in Barcelona which registered 26'293 flights, 11.6 percent less than in July 2008, and in third place came Palma which monitored 21'681 flights, 8.3 percent less than the same month last year.