Aena published a statement this Monday in which «clarifies and lists transparently» the initiatives in which it participated in the context of the health controls of the pandemic, as well as the contracts with the company Eurofins Megalab in order that «immediately stop the accusations and insinuations that these news slip». In this sense, the airport manager has made reference to the news published in recent days in various media in which Aena is related to the protagonists of the so-called «Ábalos/Koldo case». «In those months of 2020, after the worst moments of COVID-19, many companies that offered different solutions associated with the recovery of air mobility after the pandemic contacted Aena. As in all Aena circumstances, any necessary hiring was carried out in accordance with the legally established hiring procedures,» Aena detailed. Thus, it explained that «when the majority of Aena workers returned to the workplace after confinement, Aena hired a “Performing COVID-19 Detection Tests” (File DRH-241/2020), for a maximum amount of 1.5 million euros.
The contract was awarded to Eurofins Megalab because it made the most advantageous economic offerwith a 25% reduction on the maximum amount of the tender. «The other company that submitted an offer made a 22% reduction.» Likewise, he commented that in the summer 2020in order to stimulate safe passenger traffic at airports, different European airports began to rent spaces in their facilities to operators expert in carrying out COVID-19 tests. «In this way, passengers could undergo COVID tests in the airport environment, necessary to travel to certain destinations. In view of the new reality, Aena put out to tender different spaces in its airports to incorporate this type of activity into its commercial offer«. And to continue carrying out COVID-19 tests in Spanish airports in 2022, leases of spaces intended for this activity were put out to tender again. «As a result of the experience of the first tender for this activity, a technical-economic feasibility analysis was carried out that concluded with the bidding for more spaces with better bidding income for Aena«. The company has also stressed that the crossing of messages that Victor de Aldama attributes this Monday, November 10, 2025, in an interview published in the newspaper El Mundo to Koldo García with the president and CEO of Aena, Maurici Lucena, «it simply did not exist and, therefore, it is not true». «It’s also not trueas other media published last week, that Víctor de Aldama visited the Aena headquarters with the directors of Eurofins Megalab. As Aena already explained on December 16, 2024 in a public statement, the president of Aena and other members of the company’s Senior Management only met with Víctor de Aldama once, on November 29, 2020 at Aena’s headquarters, a date subsequent, therefore, to the approval of the public rescue (from the SEPI) of Air Europa.» In this regard, Aena has indicated that The aforementioned meeting was requested by Juan José Hidalgo, president of Air Europa and Globalia (holding company that owns the airline), who attended it accompanied by its legal director, Ramiro Campos, and Víctor de Aldama, who was presented as CEO of Globalia. «Therefore, It is not true that any meeting was held between Javier Hidalgo and Víctor de Aldama with Aena. At the meeting on November 29, 2020, exclusively one matter was discussed: the request by Air Europa for a partial write-off of the airline’s debt with Aena for the payment of airport fees at Spanish airports. This partial haircut request was rejected by Aena.»
