The Generalitat-State technical commission for the improvement of El Prat airport met only once. It was in January to be constituted. Yesterday, the Catalan Government formally asked the Ministry of Transport to hold the second, once the proposal of the Executive of Pere Aragonès to increase the capacity for intercontinental flights became known. At the moment there is no answer, but the approach will certainly be rejected by the central government. You don’t need to have much vision, because Minister Óscar Puente disregarded it without consideration. In his opinion, it does not improve the enclave’s activity, “damages the health” of the residents and violates their right to prior dialogue, and is of very little scope.
The proposal of the Catalan Government goes, in broad strokes, to make each of the parallel runways of the Prat assume both landings and take-offs – currently one is intended for arrivals, and the other, for departures – during the months of July and August and only from ten in the morning to two in the afternoon. It also calls for investing in soundproofing for the neighbours, co-governance in all Catalan airports, the creation of a satellite terminal, and improving the high-speed rail connection with those of Girona and Reus so that they complement the flight offer. All this without expanding any of the tracks or affecting the protected natural areas.
Transports argues, among others, that “travellers who use an intercontinental hub want the operation to take place in a single airport, and not have to get off a plane, take a means of transport and travel to to another airport”.
Jordi Hereu, Minister of Industry and Tourism, complemented the reasoning of Transport. For the socialist leader, it is “a patch” in the face of the Government’s lack of decision, he told RTVE. Salvador Illa, candidate of the PSC in the Catalan elections of May 12, completely cut off the option of modifying the operation of the runways at El Prat airport: “It is unviable”.
However, the Government of the Generalitat replies that, among the multiple proposals envisaged by Foment, it was clearly seen to change the operation of the tracks, “and what’s more, they proposed it for the whole year and without time restrictions”.
Consulted by this newspaper, Sergi Sabrià, vice-counselor of the Government, assures that “it seems that if we were talking about Bellvitge instead of Gavà Mar, for some who today [by yesterday] truncate the proposal they would not have so many problems”. Message to Puente.
For his part, Pere Aragonès, during his intervention yesterday at the Barcelona Tribuna colloquium, said that he understands the infrastructure “as a tool at the service of the country and not as a business unit that allows a company like Aena”. Hence the co-governance requested by the Generalitat, “to defend the general interest”.
In any case, Moncloa is not alone in her refusal. The employers’ association Foment del Treball described the Catalan Executive’s plan as “insufficient”. In addition, they consider that it is a minimum proposal that is formulated in a pre-election campaign logic, but Vice President Lluís Moreno assured that it is suitable to start negotiating.
Another collective that spoke against it is the Airline Association (ALA). He defends the expansion of the Prat’s capacity, but “with solutions that respond to long-term needs”. The association bets, calculated and debated, to extend one of the tracks. Jordi Clos, president of Turisme de Barcelona, ??simply stressed that he does not understand “the real purpose” of the Government’s bet and affirmed that no one from the business, economic and social sector “is against the expansion of the airport”.
