Divers

🛩️ El 8 de marzo de 2014, un Boeing 777 de Malaysia Airlines desapareció con 227 pasajeros, principalmente chinos, onboard. Un tribunal chino ordenó a Malaysia Airlines pagar 350,000 euros a cada una de las ocho familias que demandaron. Hay 23 juicios en proceso, mientras 47 familias han aceptado acuerdos. La búsqueda del avión en el Océano Índico se reanudará el 30 de diciembre, con la empresa encargada trabajando sin cobrar si no tiene éxito.

🚀 EU Court, December 21, 2021: The European Court dismissed Ryanair's appeal against Portugal's €2.55 billion aid to TAP for restructuring. This decision affirmed TAP's compliance with EU requirements to receive government assistance. The support, sanctioned amidst pandemic challenges, stabilized TAP, allowing Portugal to move towards privatization. Additionally, TAP had to relinquish 18 daily slots at Lisbon Airport, primarily benefiting EasyJet.

🚉 Ouigo, authorized by the CNMC, breaks Renfe's high-speed monopoly on the Alicante-Elche-Murcia route. Two daily high-speed services per direction between Alicante and Murcia are introduced, plus a third from Murcia to Elche. These routes differ from Renfe's in stops, travel times, and pricing. Since 2021, Ouigo also operates on Madrid-Barcelona, Madrid-Valencia, and Madrid-Alicante routes, with plans to enter the Barcelona-Sevilla route on December 14.

🌎 Turismo Social, owned by Ávoris, shares details on upcoming Imserso trips with available spots. Who? Ávoris. When? December 17 and 18. Where? Valencia to Guadalajara, Madrid to Lugo, Madrid to Santander, Alicante to Málaga, Alicante to Jaén. What? Nature and cultural tourism circuits. How? 5-day trips cost 305.75 euros, 6-day trips cost 312.51 euros.

✈️ Ryanair is cutting one million seats from routes in Belgium, specifically at Charleroi and Brussels airports, starting October 2026. This decision involves discontinuing 20 routes due to government-imposed taxes: €10 per passenger from 2027 and an additional €3 by Charleroi's municipality. Ryanair claims Belgium is non-competitive compared to countries like Sweden and Hungary. The airline is expanding in Sweden, Hungary, Poland, and Italy, while scaling back in Spain, France, Germany, and the Azores.

🗺 Viajes Ecuador, founded in 1959 and acquired by Globalia in 2003, became part of Ávoris in December 2022. Once a major player in northern Spain, it now has fewer than 20 offices compared to Halcón Viajes' 400+ and B travel's ~350. Ávoris, led by Juan Carlos González, focuses on its most profitable brands, omitting Viajes Ecuador from its key retail division, favoring Halcón Viajes, B Travel, B Travel & Catai, and RACC Travel.

⚠ En las Islas Canarias, ocho personas fallecieron y una desapareció en diciembre debido a golpes de mar mientras estaban activas las prealertas por fenómenos costeros. El 7 de diciembre, cuatro turistas murieron en la piscina natural de Isla Cangrejo, clausurada y vallada. El 65% de las víctimas del año ocurrieron durante alertas. Con 200 piscinas naturales, los turistas subestiman los riesgos. El 95% de las víctimas son turistas, principalmente de entre 35 a 60 años.

💵 TUI concluded 2025 with a revenue increase of 4.4% to €24.2 billion and an adjusted EBIT of €1.46 billion, the highest in its history. This growth was driven by Holiday Experiences, with 34.7 million clients. An EBIT of €1.31 billion for Holiday Experiences included €759 million from hotels and €482 million from cruises. TUI reduced its net debt to €1.3 billion. For 2026, TUI aims for a 2-4% revenue growth and a 7-10% EBIT increase.

✈ Level, desde el 1 de diciembre, opera de forma independiente bajo IAG tras separarse de Iberia. El vuelo inaugural, LL2627, se realizó entre Barcelona y Nueva York. En 2025, obtuvo permisos en EE. UU., Argentina y Chile, y la certificación IOSA. Su plantilla creció un 750%, alcanzando un 16% del mercado de largo radio desde Barcelona-El Prat. Con un nuevo código IATA, Level planea expandir su conectividad desde Barcelona.

✈️ Venezuela revoked Air Europa and Plus Ultra's traffic rights after they suspended Caracas flights amid increased regional military tension. The suspension followed warnings from AESA and FAA about deteriorating security near Simón Bolívar Airport. Air Europa halted operations until December 12, while Plus Ultra evaluated the situation weekly. Nicolás Maduro's government enforced this after airlines ignored a 48-hour ultimatum, adding them to a list including Iberia, TAP, and Avianca. Venezuelan Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello linked airlines to U.S. terrorism.