Spanish airports told to scrap ‘extortionate’ prices for bottles of water – now they must cost just €1 each

ALL of Spain's airports have been ordered to sell bottles of water at just €1 each, as continuous complaints from fed-up holidaymakers finally prompt action.

Tourists have been hitting out at the airport authority over the "extortionate" price of water, despite health chiefs warning travellers to make sure they stay hydrated to avoid problems on flights.

In the past, bottles of water at some Spanish airports have cost as much as €3.50.

Now, the Spanish airports authority, AENA says shops and concessions within all the airports will have to make sure they have small 33ml bottles of water available at €1.

Half litre bottles, at the same cost, will be obtainble from dispensing machines.

At the moment, 19 stores in seven airports – Madrid-Barajas, Palma de Mallorca, Bilbao, Tenerife Sur, Santiago, Vigo and Girona-Costa Brava - follow the new rules.

Another 16 airport stores in the process of changing their prices are in Madrid-Barajas, Alicante-Elche, Valencia, Barcelona-El Prat and Malaga-Costa del Sol.

134 vending machines in six airports – Tenerife Sur, Gran Canaria, Fuerteaventura, Leon, Vitoria and Salamanca – provide the half-litre bottles .

The price of certain basic products in Aena's network of Spanish airports, especially water, had caused complaints from passengers, who went to the Ombudsman, Francisco Fernández Marugán, to obtain a reduction.

In his latest annual report, corresponding to 2017, the Ombudsman said he had obtained a commitment from the authority to "make available drinking water sources to citizens".

He also said he would limit the maximum prices of bottled water, both from restaurants at the airport and the vending machines.

In the case of machines, the price was set at 1.60 euros.

Despite this, Aena has gone a step further to reduce the amount to one euro.