Jurídicos y Administrativos

🏡 Valencia's new regulation allows only 2% of homes per neighborhood for tourist accommodations, aiming to preserve 98% for residential and commercial use. Granada halts new licenses in areas where residential tourist pressure exceeds 10%, with some neighborhoods reaching 24%. The Valencia regulation includes five limitations, such as prohibiting new tourist places in districts with over 8% tourist accommodations compared to registered residents, and capping tourist homes at 5% per block and 15% of local commercial premises per block.

🛫 Aena, headed by Maurici Lucena of Spain's PSC, proposed privatizing some airport control towers, including Palma de Mallorca's. Podemos at Palma's council opposed, motioning against it. Both PSOE, governing Aena, and PP voted against privatization, aligning with Podemos and against their government ally, Vox.

💥 American Airlines' CRJ 700 collided with a helicopter during approach to National Reagan Airport's Runway 33, less commonly used than Runway 01/19. The incident, which took place over the east bank of the river turning northwest, resulted in 64 fatalities. The NTSB is examining the collision avoidance system (TCAS) and air traffic control warnings. Prior images show the CRJ 700's authorized approach maneuver, and air traffic controllers had issued warnings to the helicopter. The investigation aims to prevent future incidents, with early findings potentially expedited due to the crash's significance and political impact.

🏨 Valencia's City Council, led by Mayor María José Catalá, plans to limit tourist apartments to 2% per neighborhood to preserve residential character. Areas like Ciutat Vella and Cabanyal, already over the limit, will see a ban on new licenses, while buildings designated for tourist use could boost rehabilitation of deteriorated zones. The municipal government will soon start revising urban regulations, with an environmental assessment document possibly approved by the Local Government Board. The opposition criticizes the plan, with Compromís calling for a permanent commission to strategize, while PSPV demands a total ban, noting tourist homes exceed 10,000. An existing moratorium on licenses, expiring in May, may extend up to two years pending new regulation.

✈️ Iberia and British Airways, responding to a tragic plane crash in Washington that killed all 64 occupants, offer passengers flexible ticket conditions for flights to Washington until February 1. Travelers can make cost-free changes for any affected flights in the itinerary, regardless of travel status or class. Flights to Washington are connected via New York (American Airlines) or London (British Airways). The airlines extend condolences to victims, families, and colleagues at American Airlines and American Eagle.

🔒 Since December 2, the European Commission (CE) is examining Spain's new traveler registry mandate, which requires accommodation, car rental, and travel agencies to report customer reservation data to the Ministry of Interior, potentially violating GDPR. Consumer and travel agency organizations, including OCU, UNAV, ACAVe, and FETAVE, demand the suspension of this registry until the CE completes its investigation, arguing it infringes on privacy, is excessive in terms of data collection, and imposes high responsibilities on businesses, especially SMEs. They advocate for the exclusion of travel agencies from the scope of the decree.

🔎 Travel agencies and the Consumer Organization (OCU) demand suspension of the data collection rule proposed by Minister Marlaska, awaiting Brussels' review for potential EU Data Protection Regulation breaches. Complaint initiated by MEP Dolors Montserrat; Commissioner Michael McGrath confirms ongoing evaluation. The rule (RD 933/2021) criticized for excessive personal data collection, overburdening businesses, especially SMEs, with high responsibility for data custody, potentially impacting competition.

🎰 Parlament de Catalunya passed a law eliminating fiscal benefits for the Hard Rock casino and hotel in Vila-seca and Salou (Tarragona) with 72 left-wing votes. The session on January 29 repealed tax breaks from 2014, changing the gaming tax rate from 10% back to 55%. The opposition to Hard Rock triggered early elections in early 2024, leading to a government change. Hoteliers fear the project's future due to the removed incentives, despite a 6% growth in off-peak overnight stays last year.

🛫 The European Commission will informally exchange information with Spain on potential EU legislation breaches, after complaints from IATA, ERA, and A4E. Spain has ten weeks to respond under the "EU Pilot" mechanism, then the Commission has ten more weeks to decide on formal proceedings. Sanctions imposed in November in Spain marked the first severe penalties by the State Administration for consumer affairs, with the ministry gaining sanctioning powers in June 2022. Airlines are fined for charging for carry-on luggage, assigning seats for minors and dependents, and not accepting cash payments at Spanish airports. Fines include Ryanair (€107.8M), Vueling (€39.3M), EasyJet (€29.1M), Norwegian (€1.6M), and Volotea (€1.2M).

🚩 Former President Donald Trump addressed the media on Thursday afternoon regarding the Wednesday night CRJ plane crash in Washington DC, which resulted in 64 fatalities. Trump implied that Obama and Biden's policies allowed less qualified individuals to hold responsible positions like air traffic control, linking it to the crash. Eight years ago, Trump repealed such aviation policies, focusing on merit for air traffic control jobs. Transport Secretary Sean Duffy, in office since the plane crash day, revoked policies supporting diversity, equality, and inclusion in favor of merit-based hiring within the Transport Department.