Beernice, if (as I remember) you fly for Ryan & carry min fuel, I applaud your ability to consistently land with 2.8 - 3.0 tons.
Many of the routes I plied for Mikey had 900kg or so Div fuel (a tad optimistic) so, with final reserve 1100 (if I remember) & a longish taxi on departure, even applying my best CDA I would arrive (having taken the "discretionary" 300 extra) with around 2400-2500 more often than not.
Actually, NO edited to say, it was fairly route sensitive, & in both GRO & CRL was about 50/50 , dependent on route, between 28-3000 & 24-2500, but, that was with the 300 extra.
Given a "real" diversion fuel of around 1500kg in most cases, that equated to a possible PAN en-route to said alternate.
Anyhow, we are discussing Apples & Oranges, & Spain , in Summer, with TS forecast, & "not overly flexible" (read militant, but Hey , do the Govt even notice? ) ATC, is not the place to Dick around with min fuel. . . and I seriously doubt that these guys did. I am 2nd guessing that all the Ducks lined up, and that the Spanish media is possibly labouring a point here with some Govt sponsored political motive behind it.
Hopefully they all departed with a bit more extra than their Base Capt would have liked, if they did
, if not
they should really be asking themselves WHY ? ?
I would be a little bit ashamed (but not inhibited ) to be forced into declaring an Emergency due fuel, unless I had been thrown a real wide ball.
Unless due to some really unforseen circumstances, I would take that as a surefire indication that my eye was not on the ball that day.