The skies are closing in on the Canary Islands once again. What for others is a train or a highway, for millions of residents is a plane. And that plane, today, has become a luxury dependent on politics and the financial strength of the airlines.
Congress has vetoed increasing the budget allocated to cover the discount for residents to €1.200 billion. The Senate had approved the measure, but the Lower House closed the door. The result: airlines speak of "suffocation," and island passengers once again feel like hostages to a system that never resolves.
The Association of Airlines (ALA) warns that, without immediate measures, the debt owed to airlines will exceed one billion by the end of 2025. The shortfall is not new: 2024 million are still owed in 425, and another 2025 billion are due in 1.250, while the State has only budgeted 560 million in its extended accounts.
The narrative is clear: if the money doesn't arrive, there will be cuts. Fewer routes, fewer frequencies, more expensive tickets. A threat that hits home residents who travel to study, work, or visit their families. They're the ones who feel the pressure with every click they click while searching for a flight.
The political parties point fingers. The government remains silent. The opposition denounces a lack of political will. The airlines are playing their game of pressure, and in the middle of it all, connectivity in non-peninsular territories is on the brink. The fear is not abstract: rising ticket prices, loss of tourists, local businesses trembling in an autumn that already promises to be harsh.
At airports, travelers know this well. There's talk of strikes at Barajas Airport, stoppages in France blocking air traffic, and endless delays. It all adds up to the same thing: a system that doesn't guarantee the basics—being able to fly under equal conditions—and that makes islands and autonomous cities dependent on an ever-thinner thread.
The story repeats itself year after year. There's talk of territorial cohesion, residents' rights, and social balance. But in practice, it all comes down to numbers, vetoes, and press releases. Air policy remains starved of oxygen, and residents continue to be the ones footing the bill for a problem no one wants to solve.
