Party seeks an extension to flights and cut in fares

THE United Left party called on the Balearic government to extend the proposed public inter-island air service to connecting routes with the Peninsula. The Parliamentary group also wants to see a reduction of 50 percent in fares. United Left spokesman Manolo Cámera invited the government to enter debate with other political parties. The purpose would be to agree a package of measures to help alleviate the disadvantages of being an Island community. At a Press conference, Cámara also accused the Minister for Public Works, Mabel Cabrer, of “misleading the House” when she maintained that there are legal impediments, established by the European Union, which exclude Balearic-Peninsula air links from becoming part of a public air service. Cámera described the proposed declaration of the Balearic inter-island public air service as a “shoddy piece of work” which the Balearic government has addressed in an “unconvincing” way. He pointed out that the Canary Islands have enjoyed a public air service since 1997, when central government subscribed to an agreement with the regional government there. The Balearic government did not sign the agreement.
During the term in office of the previous Balearic coalition government, a comparison was made of special transportation needs of the Balearic and the Canary Islands and the idea conceived of an extension of the public air service to the Peninsula in both Communities. Backed by the Popular Party in Minorca and Ibiza-Formentera, Cámera confirmed that the pressure brought to bear by three political platforms in favour of public air transport in the Balearic Islands, led to a motion being put before the Senate. The Minister for Public Works, claimed the United Left spokesman, had been “short on the truth” when she tried to justify that links from the Islands to the Peninsula could not become part of a public air service due to European Union legal rulings. Cámara claimed that if a Sovereign State needs a public service to be established, the European Court had approved guidelines for doing so last July.
He drew attention to the increase in airline ticket prices over the last three years and recommended a reduction by half in the tariffs, apart from discounts for students, pensioners and underprivileged groups.