SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE, June 28 (EUROPA PRESS) –
The candidate for the Congress of Deputies for the Canarian Coalition, Cristina Valido, has demanded that the Canary Islands form part of the management of AENA, and of the Canarian airports, as established in the Statute of Autonomy.
Valido made these statements after a meeting with Javier Cabrera, president of the CEST, in which they addressed some of the issues that, according to the candidate, “we have to demand in Madrid for the economic and social development of the south of Tenerife, and that we can only raise the deputies of exclusive Canarian obedience”.
“It is unfortunate that every time there is a new government in Madrid, everything has to be explained again. In this case, we should give them a copy of the Autonomy Statute because they forget that it is a Law that they have to comply with, and in its article 161 makes it very clear that the management of ports and airports are the responsibility of the Autonomous Community,” said the candidate.
Cristina Valido recalled the meeting she held last week with air traffic controllers, in which they expressed their opposition to the privatization of the control towers at the Tenerife and Gran Canaria airports because “it is a benefit that will not reach users and they will imply worse management and higher expenses”.
“Our airports are not airports like those on the mainland. They give us life. Without them we cannot eat, go to study or receive health care,” he said, later adding that, in the case of the Tenerife South Airport, “it must improve its infrastructures and facilities to offer care and service in keeping with the tourist destination that we are”.
On the other hand, reference was made to the transfers from Costas, who agreed with the representatives of the CEST that it should be a total, complete transfer, similar to that made to other communities, especially the Basque or Catalan ones.
Finally, he mentioned the historical debt that the State maintains with the Canary Islands, and specifically with the South of Tenerife regarding the deployment of State security forces and bodies. “It is unjustifiable that given the growth of our population and the arrival of 12 million tourists a year, the templates are not covered and, in this sense, we must also claim the game that corresponds to the State for the definitive deployment of the General Corps of the Canarian Police”, he said.
For his part, the president of the Círculo de Empresarios y Profesionales del Sur de Tenerife (CEST), Javier Cabrera, explained that the meeting served to convey to the CC candidate for Congress Cristina Valido three issues that are strategic for the Island and for Canary Islands: “First of all, the state of the Tenerife South Airport terminal because it does not respond to the real needs of those who visit us. It is uncomfortable and a gateway that offers a very negative image of our destination.” For this reason, he emphasized that the Canarian institutions must be well represented in the Aena bodies in which decisions are made.
He also highlighted the need to carry out a real and sustainable policy for the development of the coasts, which includes economic operators. “For this, our Statute of Autonomy must be complied with, which must be worked hard from Madrid.” Likewise, the president of the CEST recalled that security is essential for the tourism industry, for which reason he advocated the improvement of the provision of human and material resources of the State security forces and bodies.
