Businessmen, users and politicians, against Colau's idea of ​​suppressing flights between Madrid and Barcelona

• Aerial: Colada wants to end the airlift with Madrid to fight pollution

The idea of ​​the mayor of Barcelona Ada Colau to end the airlift to Madrid has caused the reaction of businessmen, users and policy makers, who warn of the risks and consequences of suppressing a crucial connection between the two cities.

The Business Confederation of Madrid (Ceim) and Foment del Treball , employers of Madrid and Catalonia, respectively, have drafted a joint statement in which they ask for "prudence" before the "exploratory" proposal of the City Council of Barcelona to eliminate the air bridge "because it has a rail alternative without emissions. "

The businessmen understand that "we must make the proposals with the data of the services and the demand depending on the volume of passengers, the expected traffic, the real capacity of each service and responding to both the economic criteria and the unavoidable commitments to the climatic emergency. "

Along the same lines, the two employers stress the importance of "cosmopolitan cities such as Madrid and Barcelona having all possible connections, both air, sea, rail and road."

Therefore, they point out that, in the case of Barcelona-Madrid, "for the two cities it is essential to have the service of the Aerial Bridge", at the same time that it considers "essential" the high-speed rail connection between the two cities.

In addition, remember that between Madrid and Barcelona "there are many connecting flights between the two cities to connect with others to different destinations, especially to South America," so "it is necessary to arrange the air connection between the two cities to facilitate the traveler their mobility".

Reactions from Madrid

From the Madrid City Council, the delegate of Environment and Mobility of Madrid, Borja Carabante , has assured that "dispensing with airport communications is an absolute nonsense in today's society" and has framed the proposal in "announcements and gestures to which we they are very accustomed to the left "which in their opinion" have no relevance from the point of view of effectiveness ".

The vice president of the Community of Madrid, meanwhile, believes that it is a "more occurrence" of Colau and has criticized that "intends to return to the villages" with this initiative, as said Ignacio Aguado before the media.

Tourism Impact

The reactions have also come from Asetra, the Spanish Association of Users, Businessmen and Professionals of Air Transport , which considers that the measure proposed by the City Council is "a direct attack on tourism."

The organization has insisted that the "excuse of air pollution implies a plan to harm tourism in the city and the development of the airport facility" and requires the City Council not to blame the air pollution bridge in Barcelona and look at the Polluting effects produced by the roads that daily circle Barcelona or its Free Zone or that measure the emission rate caused by the intense activity of the port of Barcelona, ​​both in its cargo and passenger ships, "which far exceed those caused by the air Transport".

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