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Battle looms over airport land
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by DAVID EADE
In PANORAMA on Friday I begged the question was joint use of Gibraltar’s airport a dead duck? This followed the announcement by the mayor of La Línea, Alejandro Sánchez, that he intended to sell the land earmarked for the Spanish side of the airport project to private investors rather than AENA, the national airport authority.
I also stated that the Spanish government’s economic problems and the lack of flights between Gibraltar and Spain might be a reason for the apparent reluctance to proceed with what was always a political rather than economical project. Indeed the air terminal and Cervantes Institute have both been slow to come to fruition – the only speedy element about Spanish – Gibraltarian relations are the Guardia Civil incursions into the bay.
I did also wonder whether Sánchez’s decision to not hand the land over to the AENA was another phase of his Partido Popular’s battle with the socialist government in Madrid. A fracas that inevitable involves a Gibraltar element.
That may be closer to the truth as now the AENA has come out to state that it intends to have the land for the terminal either by agreement or through the courts.
AENA falls under the control of the Ministry of Public Works. Campo MP Salvador de la Encina is president of the commission of public works at the Spanish parliament and has talked to the director of AENA on this issue.
IN DARKNESS
The airport authority says it is inexplicable that La Línea has not received its letter on the matter and was either faxing or emailing a copy. However therein may lay the problem as La Línea council held its session in darkness because the power company Endesa had cut off the supply as its bills had not been paid. No electricity no faxes or emails.
De La Encina said the first intention of AENA was to reach an agreement over the ceding of the land for the air terminal project. However he stressed that Spain had given an international undertaking to the British government under the Forum of Dialogue that it would create an access on Spanish land. Hence if no agreement could be reached with the town hall then legal action would be taken to secure the site so that Spain could honour its international agreement.
There is another clue to the actions of La Línea’s mayor on this issue. AENA talks of the land being ceded, sold or some other formula found. It could well be the amounts being negotiated do not match those being offered to the town hall by private developers hence Sánchez’s decision to sell to them and pretend the AENA has never been in touch.
LEGAL MEASURES
So yet another battle at the border seems to be looming. De La Encina refused to be drawn on whether AENA would simply expropriate the land preferring for now to reach an amicable agreement with the mayor and his administration. However he made it clear that sufficient legal measures existed to acquire the land if no accord could be reached.
So AENA in conjunction with the State Lawyer may have to act. De La Encina is bemused over the attitude of the town hall – a scenario that has never been encountered before by the airport authority. He says such a project would be beneficial, bring development, employment and wealth to La Línea. Indeed – but would it give the cash strapped town hall the same amount of dosh as the private investors? Probably not!
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