Divers

🚩 Baleares, 2022: Under Armengol's eight-year presidency, despite feelings of tourist saturation and road congestion, there were no protests. Over 100,000 apartments were legalized for platforms like Airbnb without public dissent. Key environmental groups remained quiet, with Terraferida disbanding due to pressures. A new highway between Llucmajor and Campos was built without protest. The return of the left is seen as a solution to quell current unrest over tourism saturation.

🌍 British travel agencies report increased inquiries about protests in Spain. Mark Tanzer, president of Abta, highlights concerns in cities like Barcelona, Palma, and Ibiza. Despite unrest, Spain remains popular; 24% of surveyed Britons plan to visit. Jet2's CEO, Steve Heapy, notes rising security concerns. Tanzer criticizes negative British media narratives, emphasizing the importance of personal experiences and travel advice. Spain competes with destinations like Turkey and Greece but maintains its leading position.

✈️ Ryanair has launched Travel Agent Direct, a new global platform for traditional travel agencies to book flights directly. Access excludes promotional fares and payments are made with corporate cards. This marks a shift after years of tension since 2007, including legal battles, with Ryanair calling distribution channels "parasites." Ryanair now collaborates with agencies like TUI and Expedia but continues its dispute with eDreams over alleged 124% ticket price markups, urging EU intervention.

💸 Nido Living has purchased the Iberian student accommodation portfolio Livensa Living from Brookfield Asset Management for €1.2 billion. The acquisition includes 9,000 beds across 22 residences in Spain and Portugal, aiming to reach 13,000 beds in Europe by the end of the year. Nido's goal is 25,000 beds in Europe by 2031. The debt financing for the operation is €700 million. CPP Investments acquired Nido in April of the previous year.

🚨 Tui flight from Cardiff to Lanzarote faced a bomb threat on a note left by a Welsh passenger. Emergency protocol activated at Lanzarote Airport with landing at 10:55. Guardia Civil and bomb specialists inspected the plane. About 200 passengers moved to a secured area. Temporary disruptions caused delays. Hours later, authorities confirmed the threat was false, restoring normal operations.

✈️ Starlux, Taiwan's private airline, purchased 10 Airbus A350-1000s, adding to their 30 pending orders. Bridges Air Cargo became the first buyer of the Embraer 190 E-Freighter. Embraer sold 50 E175s to SkyWest, which serves United, Delta, and American. Egyptair added six A350s to its fleet, now totaling 16. MNG Airlines from Turkey bought two A350Fs for cargo. Boeing, however, saw no sales during the three-day air show in Paris.

💰 Francina Armengol, former president of the Balearic government, granted millions of euros to a hotelier publicly associated with her. During the pandemic, Armengol's close acquaintance received disproportionate funding compared to other businesses. Similar favoritism was reported with her ex-partner, Joan Nadal. The issue has drawn attention due to Armengol's alleged false testimony regarding her acquaintance with Victor de Aldama, sparking a legal complaint. Iago Negueruela, a party associate, faced similar allegations of favoritism.

🛬 Air India crash investigation is ongoing; 242 people on board and 39 on the ground perished. The RAT system deployed, indicating dual engine failure. Pilots acted correctly, and flaps were functional. Unexplained noise and electrical anomalies were noted; fuel contamination is unlikely. Passenger and pilot fears result in ongoing flight cancellations in India, yet Boeing 787 inspections reveal no faults.

💸 Viajes El Corte Inglés achieved record revenue of €3.449 billion for 2024-25 (year ending February 28, 2025), a 4.3% increase from €3.306 billion the previous year. The group reported an EBITDA of €101 million, up 8.6% from the prior year. El Corte Inglés had total revenues of €16.675 billion, with EBITDA rising 11.9% to €1.209 billion, and net profit increasing by 6.7% to €512 million. Debt decreased by €263 million.

🏢 En España y Portugal, hay 47 proyectos de branded residences con más de 2,400 unidades y 700,000 m² en desarrollo. El Branded Residences Monitor, lanzado en Madrid, enfrentará desafíos como la complejidad regulatoria y la inseguridad jurídica. En 36 meses, el 53.2% de los proyectos finalizarán, y el 91% están ya en construcción o comercializados. Las casas más caras cuestan 24 millones de euros, y el 62% de la superficie está en España, liderada por sociedades anónimas y holdings en el 78% de los casos.