Overview
- Citing Tuesday’s budget disclosure, Vigo mayor Abel Caballero demanded a recurring 9 million-euro annual transfer to support Vigo and the Peinador airport and compared that figure with the 3 million euros the Xunta gives Santiago for capitalidad.
- Santiago’s 2026 income plan shows the municipal promotion company Incolsa will receive 2.585 million euros, including about 1.2 million euros for direct airline subsidies aimed at attracting international routes to Lavacolla.
- The Santiago contract for airline capture was processed under the procurement modality ‘negociada y sin publicidad,’ a negotiated, non-public award that critics say limits public oversight and prevents scrutiny through the Portal de Contratación.
- The Xunta, through delegate Ana Ortiz, rejected Caballero’s demand by noting Vigo received 7.6 million euros this year from the Fondo de Cooperación Local, that the Xunta has transferred more than 41 million since 2020, and that Vigo recently turned down 645,000 euros in autonomous grants.
- Loss of routes across northwest Spain and a reported drop of more than 30 percent in Lavacolla traffic have driven local and regional subsidies for carriers and put these funding and transparency disputes at the center of decisions that will affect passengers, local businesses and future route retention.