Buried in the 20 February edition of Spain’s BOE official gazette is a small but strategic change for corporate flyers: Madrid has ratified the amended Annex to its 1997 Air Transport Agreement with El Salvador. The protocol—signed in Punta Cana last November and now published under reference BOE-A-2026-3907—modernises traffic rights, safety clauses and ownership definitions to match EU open-skies standards. Concretely, Spanish and Salvadoran carriers will be able to operate up to seven weekly passenger services and unlimited all-cargo rotations between any points in the two countries, with fifth-freedom rights beyond to a third state. The text also recognises EU ownership, meaning Iberia can wet-lease aircraft from fellow IAG companies without extra paperwork, while Salvadoran start-ups can tap EU lessors. Why it matters: Spain hosts more than 150 Spanish-Central American joint ventures in agritech, BPO and renewable energy. Until now they relied on time-consuming connections via Miami or Panama. A nonstop Madrid–San Salvador flight would cut end-to-end journey time by five hours and avoid US transit visa hassles for Latin American staff. All-cargo rights could also unlock fresh-produce exports from El Salvador to Mercamadrid. From a mobility-compliance angle, the treaty aligns safety oversight with EASA rules, facilitating AOC validations and easing crew-visa issuance. Companies should monitor slot filings for winter 2026/27; an IAG or Volaris subsidiary is expected to request frequencies as soon as Aena opens bids for the new Barajas Terminal T4S night bank. Global-mobility teams should update travel policies to flag potential direct options, revisit per-diem tables—San Salvador hotel rates are 30 % lower than Miami—and brief travellers that ESTA will no longer be required once direct flights start.
Source: Boletín Oficial del Estado (BOE)
