Lola García demands Canary Islands be excluded from airport fee increase

The president of the Fuerteventura Island Council, Lola García, has asked that the islands be exempted from the airport fee hike announced by AENA, arguing that the measure could harm the archipelago’s economic and social development.

García praised the investment plan announced by the public entity for Spanish airports, which includes projects in the Canary Islands and Fuerteventura, “with improvements that our airports so badly need.”

However, she warned that “these investments must not lead to higher fees in the Canary Islands, as our mobility depends almost exclusively on air transport.”

The island president emphasized that supra‑insular administrations must consider the archipelago’s status as an outermost region, avoiding “unilateral decisions that affect the management of infrastructure that is strategic for our economic development and the mobility of Canary residents.”

In this context, a statement from the council insisted on the need to advance the co‑management of the airport network, as stipulated in the Canary Islands Statute of Autonomy. “Co‑management of the airport network is not a whim; it is a right recognized in our statute, and we are talking about the islands’ economic and social development,” she affirmed.

She also recalled that the “Decreto Canarias” promoted by the regional government includes a request for the autonomous community to have representation on AENA’s Board of Directors, thereby strengthening the islands’ participation in strategic decisions affecting their connectivity.