Confirmed: 1.9% reduction in Aena airport charges for 2016

Madrid airport Terminal 4

Yesterday, the General State Budgets for 2016 were presented by the Government in the Congress. The breaking news is that it already contains the 1.9% reduction in Aena airport charges that the CNMC asked them to introduce. Looking up Article 72, paragraph One (page 48) in the budget project, it reads: “Effective on March, 1 2016 and with indefinite validity, the amounts of the airport charges decrease by 1.9% regarding the charges in force on February, 29 2016”. Also, the discount will apply to passengers with connecting flights increasing from 35% to 40%.

With this, the Government accepts the request of the CNMC. However, Aena presented an appeal against the CNMC which was accepted by the National High Court. Regarding the appeal, we informed that unless the National High Court accepted the precautionary measures requested by Aena, the airport charges would have to be lowered 3.5%. That was the CNMC’s demand, but the solution finally seems to have been found in a middle ground of 1.9%. As a matter of fact, according to a report from ConsensoDelMercado this Monday, the National High Court has refused Aena’s appeal. They consider that the Congress must introduce that reduction in the General Budgets and they have now done so. Some Spanish media sources, like ElMundo are already informing about the fact that the airport charges will be reduced by 1.9% in 2016.

Photo: Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas airport check-in counters – Terminal 4 / Flickr-Marc