Spain has activated emergency price limits on flights between Madrid and Andalucia while the southern high-speed rail corridor remains closed.

The measures, published in the Official State Gazette, took effect on Wednesday and aim to prevent operators exploiting the surge in demand following the Toledo rail disaster.

Under the mechanism, fares cannot exceed the highest price recorded during the preceding 30 days of the tragedy.

A second safeguard applies where that maximum was more than 50% above the average price over the same period. In those cases, the ceiling becomes the average plus 50%.

For example, if a service averaged €200 but briefly reached €1,000, its maximum permitted price would be €300.

Consumer association Facua has urged the Consumer Affairs Ministry to monitor airlines immediately and impose penalties where breaches are found.

The group says the rules also require a minimum daily flight offering to reproduce fares available on the equivalent date in 2025, adjusted for inflation.

However, Facua spokesman Ruben Sanchez said clarification was needed on how many flights or seats must be offered at those prices.

He argued that fares advertised last year for between €15 and €42 should be reflected in the emergency offering, rather than airlines simply keeping tickets below a higher ceiling.

He insisted that airlines would breaking the new rules if there were no flights for €20.

Iberia has added 98 flights between Andalucia and Madrid since last Thursday. It has also announced maximum one-way fares of €99 in economy and €149 in business, currently running until Sunday.

Facua is also asking the government to examine car rental prices and establish whether further intervention is needed.

Meanwhile, demand has pushed up the cost of shared car journeys.

The reported average price for a Madrid–Sevilla seat on BlaBlaCar reached €41 in recent days, compared with an October average of €30 for journeys from Sevilla to Madrid. Some users have reported seats costing more than €50.

Sanchez criticised people taking advantage of the disruption, while acknowledging that BlaBlaCar connects private individuals and would not appear to fall within the decree’s scope.

He nevertheless urged the government to investigate whether the rules could be applied to such journeys.

Read more Andalucia news at the Spanish Eye.