Sumar's Ibáñez Accuses PSOE of Climate Incoherence Over Private Jet Tax Push and Airport Expansion Plans
Why It MattersThe clash exposes tension within Spain's governing coalition between EU-level aviation taxation ambitions and domestic airport capacity expansion plans.
Sumar lawmaker Alberto Ibáñez has accused the Spanish government's PSOE party of environmental inconsistency, urging the coalition executive to adopt a coherent climate policy after it pushed for taxes on private jets in Europe while simultaneously studying the expansion of state-owned airports at home.
Ibáñez welcomed the initiative brought to Brussels by Third Vice President and Minister of Ecological Transition Sara Aagesen, which proposes taxes on private jets and premium aviation tickets as well as new fees on oil and gas companies, noting that Sumar had already put forward a similar proposal under the Sustainable Mobility Law, only for it to be rejected. He criticised the Ministry of Transport, led by Óscar Puente, for examining the expansion of state-owned airports and ports across Spain at the same time, demanding "coherence" and stating it "makes no sense" to hold both positions simultaneously.
On airport infrastructure, Ibáñez — who also sits as a Compromís deputy — warned that the DORA, the regulatory document setting the framework for airport expansion in Spain, must be approved before the 30th of the current month, and expressed concern over the lack of concrete information on the future of Manises Airport in Valencia. He noted the Ministry had committed to not expanding Alicante Airport, but said the position on Manises remained unclear, and urged Puente to impose time-based operating restrictions there, demanding at minimum "a total rest from 12 midnight to 6 in the morning" for nearby residents.
