Spain Publishes New Conditions For Air And Sea Passenger Transport

Spain is making the conditions more flexible for the tourist transport of passengers and recreational sailing, and instruments are enabled that allow the offer of services to be adapted to the change in demand and in the health situation.

The Official State Gazette (Spanish acronym: BOE) published the Order of the Ministry of Health on Tuesday, establishing the new conditions to apply in Phases 2 and 3 of the de-escalation, framed within the Plan for the Transition to the New Normality in regard to air and sea passenger transport.

Air transport

As regards aeronautical training, the Order clarifies the conditions under which these training activities may be resumed, in accordance with the provisions of Order SND/414/2020, prioritising hygiene and the maximum separation possible on flights and taking into account the instructions, recommendations and guidance material adopted by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA).

Instruction flights must take off and land in the territorial unit in which the flight school is located, without landing or taking off from other territorial units until such time as the Ministry of Health authorises travel between different territorial units. The specific case of the Balearic Islands should be taken into account, following the request made by the regional government, where instruction fights may only land on the island they took off from.

Furthermore, the Order allows for recreational air navigation in groups of up to 20 people, including the pilot.

Sea transport

As regards sea transport, passenger traffic is re-established from the mainland to the Canary Islands, albeit contingent upon the rules on the movement of people established for the term of the state of emergency.

At the request of the Autonomous City of Melilla, the ban on passengers disembarking from the mainland on passenger ships that provide a regular service is maintained, although conditions are made more flexible by establishing new exceptions.

In addition, the tourism transport of passengers is re-established throughout those parts of the country that are in Phase 2, within the territorial units of reference, with the measures to protect health which, as the case may be, are adopted by the health authorities.

Furthermore, at the request of the Regional Governments of the Balearic Islands and of the Canary Islands, limitations are established on the capacity of the vessels or ships used for tourist transportation in these islands.

As regards recreational sailing, certain restrictions are lifted in each phase, such that the conditions are consolidated in a uniform fashion throughout the country.

Finally, Order TMA/273/2020, of 23 March, is amended, which issued instructions on the reduction in passenger transport services, to enable the Directorate-General of Civil Aviation, the Directorate-General of the Merchant Navy and the Directorate-General of Land Transport to adapt the offer of air, sea and land transport services to changes in demand and in the health situation.