airport taxes

The Catalan company Abertis, which owns 90% of Sabsa, denies the accusation stated by the President of Bolivia, Evo Morales, that they made a poor investment. Abertis emphasised that between 2005 and 2012, Sabsa invested $12.6 million, and paid $38.6 million to hold the airports and $9.4 million in taxes. However, Abertis accepts the nationalisation of its subsidiary company, which manages the international airports of La Paz, Santa Cruz and Cochabamba. Two other Spanish companies have been nationalised by Morales in the last 10 months. The Barcelona-based multinational believes that the nationalisation process will be “based on international law” and therefore it will receive fair compensation. On Monday, Morales announced the immediate nationalisation of Sabsa. The Spanish Government will review its relations with Bolivia.

From the next summer season, the Irish low-cost airline will cancel 4 routes from Barcelona Airport and reduce the frequency of 20 others due to the increase in airport taxes imposed by the Spanish Government. This decision means that 170 fewer flights will operate through the Catalan airport per week. In addition, the number of passengers transported per year by Ryanair will also be reduced, dropping from 5.4 million to 4.2 million. Furthermore, it will mean the direct loss of 1,200 jobs at Barcelona El Prat Airport, according to the airline. Ryanair will also cancel routes from Madrid Barajas and it will eliminate the flight linking the Spanish capital to Girona airport.