May 2021 130 The International Air Transport Association (IATA) warned that proposals by AENA to increase user charges at the 46 airports it operates across Spain could damage Spain’s economic and employment recovery from Covid-19. The proposals presented to the DGAC for approval include a request to increase charges by 5.5 per cent over five years. They would also open the door for AENA to recover its lost revenues due to the Covid-19 crisis, for services which were never operated, or which airlines couldn’t access. “The whole aviation industry is in crisis. Everybody needs to reduce costs and improve efficiency to repair the financial damage of Covid-19. Having analysed AENA’s situation, airlines believe that AENA could reduce its charges by 4 per cent. So proposing to pass the burden of financial recovery on to customers with a 5.5 per cent increase is nothing short of irresponsible. The DGAC should immediately reject the request and instruct AENA to w