Air Europa plane

IAG announced its intention to acquire Air Europa in February. | Archive

Andrew EdePalma29/03/2023 08:42
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At a meeting with President Armengol and tourism and employment minister Iago Negueruela on Tuesday, Air Europa senior managers issued assurances that the planned acquisition of the airline by IAG will not result in a loss of jobs or flights or the closure of the headquarters in Llucmajor. The CEO of Air Europa, Jesús Nuño de la Rosa, and directors Richard Clark and María José Hidalgo stressed that the intention is to maintain employment in the Balearics and air connectivity.

It was conceded that the final decision will ultimately be made by Iberia, which will effect the takeover on behalf of IAG, but it was also emphasised that plans do not involve any reduction in flights or jobs.

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IAG is expected to endorse this, given that Air Europa is now operating with a healthy financial balance. This was highlighted in the strategic plan that was presented to the government on Tuesday. This plan provides for an improvement to this year's forecasts, despite the fact that Air Europa inter-island flights are to now be operated by Uepfly.

Negueruela said after the meeting that "the company (Air Europa) is profitable and it does not seem that the operation - the purchase process - is going to mean a decrease in activity in the Balearics".

The government will also be meeting Iberia senior management and will be seeking further clarification as to flights. Although the intention is to maintain them, the president of Iberia, Javier Sánchez-Prieto, said in Madrid on Tuesday that the EU competition authorities could object to IAG's dominant position in the Balearics as a result of the acquisition. This could affect a "couple of routes" in the Balearics.