The Department of Mobility and Housing, through the Directorate General of Maritime and Air Transport, is already working on the proposal to be submitted to the Ministry for the design of the new public service obligation contract (OSP) Menorca-Madrid 2023-2025.

For this reason, contacts have already begun this week with the Consell Insular de Menorca and the Círculo de Negocios de Menorca with the aim of analysing whether the current conditions of the public contract are sufficient or whether new conditions need to be introduced in accordance with the needs of the island’s residents.

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Among the possibilities on the table are to bring forward the start of the contract, which currently runs from 1 November to 30 April; to increase the minimum capacity, currently set at 74,000 seats, or to increase frequencies on specific dates.

The companies currently awarded this contract are Iberia and Air Nostrum. The Director General of Maritime and Air Transport, Xavier Ramis, met this week with representatives of the two companies to analyse the current operation of the contract, which includes two daily frequencies – four flights in total – on the route between Menorca and Madrid, with the reinforcement of an additional daily frequency on two specific dates: between the Friday before Good Friday and Easter Monday (both included). Furthermore, according to the current contract, the first flight must leave Menorca between 7 a.m. and 8 a.m. in the morning, and the last flight in the evening must leave Madrid between 8 p.m. and 9 p.m., from Monday to Sunday.

During the meeting, the Director General of Maritime and Air Transport requested information on the current operation of the route, in order to draw up a proposal to be sent to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, which is responsible for processing the contract.

The Government plans to ask the Ministry of Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda (MITMA) to start the tender for the new OSP Menorca-Madrid 2023-2024 contract as soon as possible.

The Maó-Palma route

On the other hand, the Government of the Balearic Islands is working with the operating companies of the Maó-Palma route and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation to address the significant increase in demand for this route.

At present, the three airlines (Air Nostrum, Air Europa and UEP Fly) that operate the Maó-Palma route have informed the Directorate General for Maritime and Air Transport of their intention to increase the number of flights on this route. Thus, in the coming weeks there will be an increase in connections to cope with the record passenger figures for the month of November between Maó and Palma.