Miguel Praga

🏖 The municipality of Mogán in Gran Canaria has introduced a new tourist tax, with a legal ambiguity but potentially setting a precedent for municipal taxation on tourism. This local tax is 0.15 euros per night per tourist and is subject to change based on tourism-related investments. If unchallenged, this could lead to a nationwide adoption of additional tourism taxes, overlapping with existing regional ecological taxes.

🚀 Un Boeing 777 de Air India, despegó de Newark, Nueva York, EE. UU., y aterrizó inesperadamente en Sheremetyevo, Moscú, Rusia, debido a una emergencia médica a bordo. El incidente ocurrió a pesar de un veto a las operaciones aéreas entre los países. El avión, destinado a Nueva Delhi, permaneció en Rusia por aproximadamente tres horas antes de continuar su viaje, según Airlive.net.

📍 Avianca capitalizes on Argentina's economic strategy by President Javier Milei, boosting tourism from Buenos Aires. Despite a Colombia-Argentina political deal limiting flights to 35, Avianca's Ecuador subsidiary bypasses this via regulations allowing flights from Quito to Bogotá and then to Argentina. Resultantly, 17 weekly flights from Bogotá to Buenos Aires, 4 from Guayaquil, 7 from Medellín, and 8 from Costa Rica to Ezeiza Airport are scheduled, plus 3 more to Aeroparque. Plans include new connections to Mendoza, Córdoba, and Rosario.

💸 Ryanair, responding to CNMC's (Comisión Nacional de los Mercados y la Competencia) block on Aena's proposed fee increase for 2025, demands the cancellation of previous hikes in 2023 and 2024, citing violations of the Spanish Government's tariff freeze. The low-cost airline, which reallocated five planes from Spain to other EU countries due to Aena's "unjustified and excessive" rises, threatens further relocations if its demands are unmet. Jason McGuinness, Ryanair's Commercial Director, asserts that freezing 2025 fees doesn't compensate for the damage incurred in 2023-2024, emphasizing the need for low fees and competitive access costs to stimulate regional airport growth.

✈ Michel Barnier, French Prime Minister, announced two months ago a plan to increase aviation taxes to raise €1 billion annually, potentially adding up to €80 per ticket. Air France preemptively raised ticket prices from January 1 to avoid paying with their funds, affecting travelers purchasing tickets from that date, not November or December travelers. Barnier's subsequent fall from power due to a left-right alliance puts the unapproved tax, and therefore Air France's surcharge, in doubt.