Aldegar,
Interesting. Do you think that Spanish tower controllers are still complying with outdated rules. If they are then they are not complying - and I thought complicity is what they demand.
Radarman,
I have been expecting this excuse from somebody at some time.
If I had been subject to a CTOT, I could accept your argument. However, I was on an UNREGULATED flight. If, indeed, there was a problem with overloads further down the line I would expect to be issued with a CTOT. Is that not the whole point of flow control? So I cannot accept your reasoning.
Other countries do not appear to have a problem with unregulated aircraft departing before FPL time.
So, I am left thinking:_
1) Are the Spanish complying with some rule that nobody else needs to comply?
or
2) Are standards so low they do not understand what they are doing?
or
3) Are they simply being bloody minded and deliberately trying to disrupt flights, costing operators time and money?
Which ever way you look at it, seems like non compliance to me!