In Catalonia, the Catalan government and ERC have agreed on legal changes to create the Catalan Airport Authority, according to sources involved in the talks. The new body would bring together the Generalitat’s current airport powers and aim to give the region more influence over airport management.
The agreement will be added to the budget law during the amendment process, formalising an earlier budget deal reached on 19 May. Its main purpose is to help shape decisions made by Aena, the Spanish airport operator, through a single strategy for Catalonia’s airports.
One of the first tasks would be to draw up a strategic plan that includes rail links between Catalonia’s main airports. Sources familiar with the talks said this work is already being prepared, and it goes beyond Aena’s current responsibilities.
Aena president Maurici Lucena has previously opposed handing over management control. At a recent shareholders’ meeting, he warned that demands for what he called “impossible co-management” from some autonomous communities, together with tariff issues, could pose important risks.
PSC and ERC favour a governance model similar to the Port of Barcelona, where the Spanish state keeps ownership, the Generalitat appoints the president, and local administrations and social agents also take part. However, that model is seen as unworkable for airports because Aena is listed and has 49% private capital.
The Executive Council authorised the creation of the authority in January, but it still needs an amendment to Law 14/2009 on airports, heliports and other airport infrastructure. The change is expected to take effect on 2 July, after parliamentary approval of the budget and the accompanying law. Once that happens, the Catalan Airport Authority can be formally set up. More Catalonia news
The authority would then draft its statutes, define its functions and set up a governing council. That council would include a president, a vice-president and 13 members. Talks on who will sit on it have not yet started.
