Island council condemns “unacceptable” airport measures
The president of El Hierro’s Island Council, Alpidio Armas, has labelled the measures adopted by airport operator Aena at El Hierro Airport as “unacceptable”. He has vowed that the institution will do everything possible to find an immediate and direct solution to the situation caused by a staff shortage in the airport’s control tower. “We are in the process of expanding services and schedules, improving frequencies and making the airport more operational, so it makes no sense for these restrictions to suddenly appear. We do not agree,” added Armas.
Reduced hours causing immediate disruption
El Hierro’s Los Cangrejos Airport has been operating on reduced hours since 21 December, limiting its activity to between 8:30 and 18:00. According to the island president, this eliminates any possibility of extending operating hours in the event of delays, incidents, or setbacks with flights from Tenerife. Armas confirmed that since these restrictions came into force on Sunday, the first flight from Tenerife has already had to wait half an hour for activity to begin. “It makes no sense for the plane leaving Tenerife to be circling for half an hour knowing it will not be able to land. This must be resolved; it is an inappropriate service that needs fixing.”
Forming a united front to force a reversal
Armas has stated that he is working to align the Council’s vision with that of the island’s other political and institutional leaders. The goal is to form a united front to force Aena and Saerco to immediately restore, at the very least, the previous situation. “That is to say, ensuring the first flight can arrive at 8:15,” he clarified.
Aena’s “temporary” measure meets firm opposition
Although Aena has communicated that this measure is circumstantial and will be applied until 12 January, the Island Council is pushing back. Armas emphasised that the goal is to have an airport with better availability and services that meets the demands of El Hierro’s residents and visitors. “We want progress, not to go backwards,” he concluded.
No post found!