Las Palmas grants 10,000 euros to the A20 Aviation Safety Foundation

The City Council of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria has formalized a nominative grant agreement of 10,000 euros with the A20 Aviation Safety Foundation to finance aviation safety preventive actions, dissemination, training, and assistance to accident victims. The agreement, processed under file SN01/2026, is published in the Official Gazette of the Province of Las Palmas number 136, corresponding to Friday, November 13, 2026, in announcement 3.106 (pages 19543 to 19551, official reference 2.297.909). The City Government Board, in its session on October 22, 2026, approved the agreement and authorized the councilor of the area to sign it.

A 35,000 euro project with 28.57% municipal funding

The agreement channels the nominative grant provided for in the Strategic Grant Plan and the 2026 Municipal Budget, charged to budget application 01030/92000/48973. The total budget of the project amounts to 35,000 euros, of which the City Council provides 28.57% and the remainder (71.43%) comes from other sources, including 25,000 euros from the Cabildo. The municipal amount is allocated entirely to personnel expenses.

Payment is structured as an advance, with a 20% retention as a guarantee, in accordance with Base 38ª 4.3 of the Municipal Budget Execution Bases:

• 8,000 euros (80%) are paid once the agreement is signed.
• 2,000 euros (20%) are released after justifying all subsidized activity.

The grant is valid until December 31, 2026, with execution between January 1 and December 31, 2026, and a national and international scope of action. The justification must be presented within three months following the completion of the activity, without prejudice to the permanent financial control exercised by the General Municipal Comptroller.

No competitive bidding due to the singular nature of the foundation

The file justifies the direct award based on the singular nature of the entity, whose mission is to collaborate with public administrations and aviation operators in strengthening the safety of operations at national and international levels. The text maintains that the A20 Aviation Safety Foundation is “the only entity qualified and with endorsed experience” to execute the subsidized objective, which motivates the exclusion of public competitive bidding.

The foundation, with CIF G13929971 and registered office in Madrid, was established at the initiative of Pilar Vera Palmés, president of the Association of Those Affected by Flight JK5022 since May 2010 and of the International Federation of Air Accident Victims and their Families since July 2015. Its purposes include the promotion of a preventive culture, legal and psychological assistance to survivors and families, and participation in international forums.

The memory of flight JK5022 as the origin

The agreement frames the aid within the impact of the crash of Spanair flight JK5022 on August 20, 2008, on the route between Madrid-Barajas and Gran Canaria, in which 172 people were traveling and 154 died, more than 80 of whom were from the Canary Islands. The City Council links that tragedy to the subsequent review of aviation safety in Spain and Europe, with the implementation of the State Operational Safety Program for Civil Aviation and the Coordination Protocol for assistance to air accident victims and their families.

The project memorandum, registered on June 5, 2026, under number 153789, details the planned lines of action:

• Establishment of technical and legal teams to prepare aviation safety reports to be submitted to the Administration.
• Creation of a multidisciplinary team for emergency and post-emergency care.
• Recruitment of professional volunteers from the sector and public awareness.
• Legal assistance and advice to victims, survivors, and families.
• Participation in the working groups of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) on victim assistance.
• Celebration of the II Edition of the “Ángeles, Eugenia, and Jorge Piretti” Aviation Safety Award on February 20, International Day of Air Accident Victims and their Families, and preparation of nominations for the III edition in 2027.
• Presence as a speaker at the GISS 2026 symposium in Marrakech and at the VII World Conference on Air Transport (ATConf/7) in Montreal, and participation in the Second Safety Week of Tenerife.

The agreement was signed by the government councilor for the Area of Presidency, Finance, Modernization, Human Resources, and Water, Francisco Hernández Spínola, by virtue of Mayoral Decree 12215/2026, of April 13; the president of the foundation, Pilar Vera Palmés; and the technical general secretary of the Governing Board, Antonio José Muñecas Rodrigo.

The aid places the memory of the greatest aviation tragedy in the Canary Islands on the municipal agenda and reinforces the role of the victims as technical interlocutors before administrations and international organizations. The entity must acknowledge the City Council’s sponsorship in all its advertising and social networks, and invite the corporation to the project presentations, so that the municipal contribution will be visible in every activity funded during 2026.

Source: Official Gazette of the Province of Las Palmas, number 136, November 13, 2026, section I, pages 19543-19551 (official reference: 2.297.909).