Should the airports of the Balearics be enlarged?

The Ministry of Public Works of the central Government approved on July 31 the sector guiding plans for the airports of the Balearic Islands: Son Sant Joan, Son Bonet, Menorca and Eivissa. The plans, that contemplate investments to increase the number of passengers of the airport of the islands from 27.55 millions accounted in 2000 to 50 millions for the following years, crash in to the current initiatives to contain urban growth promoted by the Balearic Government and the Insular Councils of Mallorca, Menorca, and Eivissa and Formentera.

As for the Son Sant Joan airport in Palma, the Ministry of Public Works foresees increasing the current 19.5 million passengers up to 26 for the year 2005 and up to 38 millions for the year 2015. The GOB Mallorca has denounces this situation and askes the Mallorcan Council and the Balearic Government to oppose the agreement of the Ministry of Public Works to approve the Sector Guiding Plan of the Palma Airport, and also the plans of the other airports in the Balearic Islands. According to the ecologists, the Plan approved by the Ministry "constitutes a clear massification danger and a threat for the conservation of the natural resources and the quality of life of residents, and it even endangers the quality of the tourist product, as a result of the saturation of natural spaces and infrastructures that the plan would generate". Recently, with the view to opposing this extension to the airport of Son Sant Joan, the GOB Mallorca, the Federation of Neighbours' Associations, the Platform in defence of Es Prat de Sant Jordi, and the political parties, PSM, EU and The Greens, amongst other organisations, have constituted an island Platform to carry out different events, both informative and protest, and will ask the authorities in the Palma Council, the Mallorcan Council and the Balearic Government to present an appeal against the the Directive Plan for airports.

The GOB Menorca has also expressed their worries about the foreseen enlargement of the Menorca Airport, which will allow increasing the 2.7 million passengers in 2000 to 3.4 millions in 2002 and to more than 5 millions in 2015. This fact affects the future of the island of Menorca and it can mortgage the urban growth contention measures contemplated in the Insular Territorial Plan. The Menorcan ecologists also ask the Menorcan Council and the Balearic Government to oppose the Sector Guiding Plan of the Menorca Airport approved by the Ministry of Public Works.

Finally, the GEN-GOB Eivissa also opposes the foreseen enlargement of the Eivissa airport, which would pass from the 4.4 million passengers in 2000 to 5.2 millions in 2003 and to 6.98 millions in 2013. The ecologists form Eivissa subscribe the request of the GOB Mallorca and the GOB Menorca and ask the Eivissa and Formentera Council and the Balearic Government to oppose the Sector Guiding Plan for the Eivissa Airport.

Debate: Should the airports of the Balearic Islands be enlarged? Find out, give an opinon, vote!

Photo © TF / BalearWeb

Date of publication: 11/12/2001

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