Jurídicos y Administrativos

✈ The Guardia Civil's Central Operative Unit (UCO) discovered that Koldo García used the codename "alas" (wings) to discuss the bailout for Air Europa. A week before the official bailout request, on August 3, 2020, Koldo contacted Aldama for a talk on the "alas" issue. Conversations between August and November 2020 suggest Aldama used his connections with Koldo and Ábalos to influence the bailout. Javier Hidalgo, ex-CEO of Globalia, contacted Begoña Gómez, Spain's PM's wife, which contributed to the rescue being authorized on November 3, 2020, amounting to €475 million—the largest granted. José Luis Ábalos allegedly received an economic benefit for his role, involving a payment for a chalet rental worth €9,800. Air Europa denies any involvement in accelerating the bailout or the chalet payment.

🏠 Over the past 8 years, tourist accommodation in the Balearic Islands has grown by 5% (23,000 places), with vacation rentals increasing by 135% (92,000 places). In Mallorca, conventional lodging increased by 6% (19,000 places), while vacation rentals jumped by 172% (66,000 places). The population has risen by nearly 42% in the last 20 years, with residential housing growing by only 21%. Salary negotiations in the Balearic hospitality industry are ongoing, with unions demanding an 8% raise this year, 6% in 2026, and 5% in 2027. Hotel employers consider a 19% increase over three years unsustainable, given that wages have risen by 11% over the past decade. The reduction of the workweek to 37.5 hours is estimated to cost an additional 6.15%. For Semana Santa, hotel openings are at 92%, with occupancy expected to average around 70%, reaching up to 80% in some areas. March employment exceeded 500,000, 10,000 more than in the previous year. The Balearic Islands anticipate around 20 million tourists this year, despite concerns about tourism saturation and infrastructure deficits.

🏠 In Mallorca, private rooms, caravans, and tents are illegally listed on Airbnb for Easter, from April 17-20. A room at Playa de Palma costs €70 per night, totaling €246 with fees, without a tourist rental license. Prices for caravans and vans reach around €100 per night, despite regulations against such tourist rentals. The Consell de Mallorca is working with Airbnb to remove illegal listings, focusing first on clearly non-compliant accommodations like tents and adapted vehicles. They will also target properties under infraction proceedings, with a list being sent to Airbnb shortly.

🚀 New York Helicopter Tours dissolved voluntarily after their helicopter crashed into the Hudson River, killing all six occupants. The FAA will review the now-defunct company's license and procedures, while the National Transportation Safety Board investigates the crash of the Bell 206L, which lacked data storage systems. The incident happened during the company's eighth tour of the day, piloted by Seankese Johnson, a 36-year-old US Navy veteran with a commercial pilot license since 2023 and over 800 flight hours. This crash is not the first fatal aerial tour incident in New York, and another unrelated helicopter collision in Washington this year resulted in no survivors.

✈ Ryanair to withdraw more flights and planes from Spain's medium and small airports in summer 2026 if Aena's airport fee policy persists, warns CEO Eddie Wilson. Already cut 800,000 seats this summer, with further reductions expected for winter season and even more for summer due to "broken" regional airport price structures. Ryanair criticizes Spanish Government's and Aena's lack of a concrete airport development plan, despite the airline's appeal for a cost-reducing framework. Amidst cuts, Ryanair has increased capacity by 1.5 million seats at larger destinations like Madrid, Málaga, and Alicante.

🚗 Taxistas on Lanzarote island have called a strike due to insufficient public transport, causing concern for residents' daily activities like airport transfers. The capital's taxis, Arrecife, aren't striking but can't meet demand. The strike is in response to the Cabildo's attempt to unify the taxi sector, which is criticized for lack of transparency. Taxi service quality has dropped due to insufficient licenses for the growing population. Without resolution, the strike will disrupt Easter Week.

🛫 Easyjet's A321 flight from Milan to Lanzarote was diverted to Barcelona due to a disruptive passenger. Air traffic controllers facilitated a continuous descent and landing on runway 24R without incident. The incident was illustrated via a Flightradar24 image and controllers expressed support for affected passengers and crew.

🏠 In Las Palmas, tourism businesses and unions (CCOO and UGT) averted a strike set for April 17-18 with an agreement for progressive wage increases, job stability, and a one-time €650 payment for workers, excluding the restaurant sector. Signed by FEHT, Asofuer, Asolan, and FTL, the deal foresees over €100 million in salary and social contributions in 2025. It includes a total 5% wage hike by 2025 (2.25% planned plus 2.75% extra) and a 4% rise in 2026. New labor negotiations begin in September 2025. Meanwhile, labor disputes continue in Santa Cruz de Tenerife as FSC and other unions deem the agreed improvements insufficient.

🏡 The Guardia Civil investigation suggests that the Hidalgo family paid €9,800 for former minister José Luis Ábalos's summer chalet in Marbella. This was allegedly in return for facilitating the €475 million government bailout of Air Europa during the pandemic when the airline was losing €2 million daily. The UCO (Central Operative Unit) unveiled a pivotal call from Javier Hidalgo to the Spanish president's wife, Begoña Gómez, which may have been decisive in the bailout. Begoña Gómez's defense requested halting the investigation, which also probes her involvement in four alleged crimes. Air Europa denies allegations of messaging Gómez for rescue acceleration or paying for Ábalos's chalet. The case awaits further judicial instruction from the Audiencia Nacional.

🏡 In Baleares, a new decree was approved on Friday enforcing tougher sanctions against illegal tourism offerings; severe infractions can now incur fines up to €500,000, a 25% hike. Platforms must verify property registration numbers or face shared liability with owners. Grave fines reach €50,000; minor ones, €5,000. Offenders redirecting rentals to social housing can get an 80% fine reduction. The decree also stops creating new tourist beds in multi-family buildings across all islands and unlocks 90,000 old tourist spots for reactivation. Vox pressures excluded a high-season tourist tax hike and an emissions-based vehicle fee from the decree.