Jurídicos y Administrativos

🚀 In October and November, India's aviation faced chaos with thousands of bomb threats leading to countless delays, diversions, and emergency landings. Civil Aviation of India has now revised protocols to prevent such chaos, with more realistic response mechanisms and virtual meetings allowing faster decision-making. The threat wave nearly ceased following multiple arrests and ensuing criminal proceedings.

🏖️ Key tourism sector figures faced challenges in 2024: Javier Hidalgo was scrutinized for a €475 million state bailout, Víctor de Aldama arrested for corruption, Marco Sansavini's Iberia failed to absorb Air Europa, Pilar Crespo's Booking fined €413 million by CNMC, Rafael García Garrido’s Travel Live returned profits at 95% of its 230 Spanish outlets, Gabriel Subías expanded World2Meet, Enrique Saiz integrated Wamos Air into Grupo Abra, Encarna Piñero’s Grupo Piñero partnered with Hyatt in a €400 million deal, Airbnb’s Brian Chesky faced legal action for rental saturation, Miquel Moyá’s Grupo Viajes El Corte Inglés netted €49.6 million, quadrupling 2022's profit, and Carolina Martinoli became CEO of Vueling. Lastly, Pablo Bustinduy's Ministry of Consumption fined five airlines €179 million for carry-on baggage fees and targeted Airbnb with a major sanction.

📌 Spain's Interior Ministry faces backlash for not responding to queries about the "Gran Hermano" tourist law of Marlaska. The controversial Real Decree 933/2021, effective from December 2 after multiple postponements, mandates the collection and storage of up to 42 personal and banking details from customers by tourist accommodations and travel agencies, triggering administrative chaos. Non-compliance fines can reach €30,000. The sector seeks to exclude social tourism programs and school trips, reduce data retention, and shorten the 3-year preservation period. Legal challenges are considered as the law contradicts an EU court ruling on data conservation without crime suspicion.

✈ 38 people died and 29 survived after a suspected attack on an Azerbaijani civilian aircraft, which Russian government denies despite skepticism in the West. The Embraer 190 crash site in Kazakhstan shows anti-aircraft munitions damage. Russia has been combating Ukrainian drones, potentially explaining the incident. Flight risks near Russia have been warned due to air defense threats. Kremlin spokesperson Dimitry Peskov and the Senate spokesperson of Kazakhstan urge against speculation during the ongoing investigation.

🎁 British tourists favor the Canary Islands and southern Spain for Christmas holidays, with mass travel to Spain until January 2 seeking warmer temperatures, ABTA reports. Main destinations include Spain, Portugal, Turkey, and Dubai; with the Alps and Scandinavia for traditional snowy settings, and Amsterdam, Budapest, and Paris for city breaks. Over 500,000 will depart from airports like Stansted and Manchester, Heathrow expects a 21% passenger increase on Christmas, while Birmingham and Bristol will handle 200,000 and 175,000 travelers, respectively.

🏦 In 2024, the tourism industry saw significant bankruptcies, including FTI Group with a nearly €1 billion debt to the German government. FTI Group's bankruptcy led to numerous creditor claims, with little hope for recovery despite clients being reimbursed. We-Flytour, a Turkish tour operator, also declared bankruptcy, affecting around 1,500 travelers, though packages were fully insured. Spirit Airlines entered bankruptcy to cut debt and survive in the market, and GOL sought Chapter 11 protection with a proposed $950 million bondholder financing.

🏖️ Barcelona City Council approved a new fiscal ordinance targeting tourism, with hoteliers accusing it of "criminalizing" the sector. The ordinance raises property tax for about 200 hotels by 17%, as well as for cruise terminals and Park Güell entries. Park Güell tickets increased by 80%, from 10 to 18 euros. Tourist buses now require a daily permit of 35 euros, plus additional fees in certain areas, totaling an increase from 20 to around 80 euros by 2025. The increases were supported by the left backing the PSC and opposed by Junts, Vox, and the Popular Party.

📍 In 2024, Booking faced a fine reduced from €486 million to €413 million for competition abuses. Ryanair, Easyjet, Vueling, Volotea, and Norwegian were fined €179 million for hand luggage policies. Wamos Air joined Abra Group, with its state aid of €85 million returned. Air Europa's €475 million government aid is under investigation. FTI declared bankruptcy in June, Hyatt invested €400 million for a 50% stake in Bahía Príncipe, and Lufthansa acquired Ita Airways. Iberia dropped Air Europa's acquisition. Ávoris lost Imserso contract and faced a penalty. Nautalia rebranded to Travel Live, integrating Mapa Group and Wamos Portugal, and Airbnb faces a sanction for listing illegal rentals.

✈ Aer Lingus flight from Edinburgh suffers landing gear failure at Belfast City Airport on Sunday, December 22. The aircraft was destabilized due to bad weather, but no passengers were onboard, and four crew members escaped unharmed. The incident caused a closure of the runway for the entire day, resulting in approximately 40 flight cancellations or diversions.

🚫 Partido Popular (PP) to present motions in all councils, provinces, and regional assemblies in December and January, demanding the immediate withdrawal of the reservation registry enforced since December 2. The PP criticized the law for creating legal uncertainty, overburdening businesses with administrative tasks, and violating tourists' privacy rights. The registry requires accommodation, car rental, and travel agencies to share clients' data with the Ministry of Interior. Failure to comply can result in fines up to €30,000. Real Decreto 933/2021, passed without industry consensus, requires over forty data points for accommodations and over eighty for car rentals.