Jurídicos y Administrativos

📌 The EU's new Entry/Exit System (EES) will start on November 10, 2024, replacing passport stamping with electronic registration of entries and exits for non-EU/Schengen visitors. It applies to short stays up to 90 days within 180 days, excluding Irish passport holders and UK residents with EU residency. Data will be stored for three years or five years for overstayers and can be accessed by border and police authorities. Concerns are raised about potential passenger traffic delays.

💰 On August 8, the German DRSF fund began refunding over 215,000 canceled tour packages from FTI Group, impacting the upcoming travel plans of German tour operators and Spanish tourism. CEO Sebastian Ebel of TUI anticipates attracting FTI's former clients during September and October. The DRSF, established after Thomas Cook's collapse in 2019, requires travelers to provide payment proof and a security certificate for a swift refund process, which is expected to extend into September. Refunds are said to reach three-digit million figures.

🦠 Ministerio de Sanidad, Spain, decided not to vaccinate 100% of travelers to countries with Mpox cases. Mpox, first identified in humans in 1970, was declared a global health emergency by WHO on August 14. Public Health Commission of Spain met on August 21 to strengthen detection and control measures. High-risk groups will continue to receive vaccinations. Spain has a sufficient stockpile of vaccines. In the last Mpox outbreak in 2022, Spain confirmed 8,104 cases.

🛡️ Spanish cybersecurity specialists Gabriela García and David Meléndez, at DEF CON 2024 in Las Vegas, revealed a serious security flaw in Spain's national railway ASFA system, in place since the 1970s, potentially enabling terrorist acts. The system's ease of communication manipulation between beacons and trains poses a significant risk. They urge an urgent update to prevent cyberattacks, referencing similar incidents in the Russia-Ukraine conflict. European Commission's ERTMS system is a proposed solution.

💸 Globalia, associated with the Hidalgo family, was granted a contract extension to manage travel services for Spain's central government, amidst allegations of favoritism linked to Javier Hidalgo's relationship with Begoña Gómez, the Spanish PM's wife. The contract for Expediente 54/17 lots 2 and 3 was extended twice: from April 6, 2020, to December 31, 2020, and January 1, 2021, to April 5, 2022. The original contract was worth €285.6 million, with Globalia's then subsidiary Halcón Viajes awarded lots 2 and 3 valued at €106 million. The remaining €179.6 million was split between Nautalia, IAG7, and Viajes El Corte Inglés. Current contracts, not involving Globalia, have been extended from April 22, 2024, to April 21, 2025.

✈ British citizen, 34, sentenced to eight months in prison for offenses causing the diversion of an Easyjet flight from Glasgow to Tenerife. Incident occurred on April 20; sentencing on July 18. The offender smoked in the lavatories, attempted to assault cabin crew, damaged the plane, and refused to stay seated, prompting an emergency landing in Bristol, England.

🏖️ Ylva Johansson, European Commissioner, confirmed the EU's new entry system start date for travelers: November 10, at the onset of the winter tourism season. The system, delayed in implementation, will replace passport stamping with digital border controls at every European airport, port, and land border. It applies to travelers from 60 visa-exempt countries who will use ETIAS, a digital document costing €7, valid for three years, and tracks entries and exits.

✈ CECU sent a letter to Spain's Transport and Sustainable Mobility Minister Óscar Puente and Rights and Consumption Minister Pablo Bustinduy, claiming airlines are infringing consumer rights by refusing to accept notifications and claims. Aesa, the aviation safety agency, declared inaction due to lack of regulatory breach. CECU's lawyer, Miguel Crespo, urges administrative intervention as courts dismiss cases without due compensation, leaving consumers doubly affected.

🛂 The EU's Entry/Exit System (EES) will launch on November 10, affecting non-EU travelers such as the UK's primary tourism market to Spain. Hoteles Poseidón invests over €40M in a new 600-room resort in Benidorm, set to open in 2027 on a 12,000 sqm site. Castilla-La Mancha plans to start a new social tourism program for individuals over 55 by 2025, with a pilot in autumn.

🚀 Estados Unidos emitió una alerta mundial para 895 Boeing 787 tras un incidente con un avión de Latam el 11 de marzo, que cayó más de 100 metros y dejó 50 heridos. La FAA ordenó inspecciones urgentes en 30 días para detectar tapas de interruptores faltantes o rotas en los asientos de piloto. Air Europa posee 26 unidades del modelo afectado. De los aviones a revisar, 158 están en aerolíneas estadounidenses y 737 en otros países.