Peak Season Brings Renewed Concerns Over Tenerife Airport Queues
With October marking the start of the high tourist season in the Canary Islands, the adequacy of current measures at Tenerife South Airport is being called into question. Cristina Valido, the spokesperson for the Canary Coalition in Congress, has formally requested that the Spanish Ministers of the Interior, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, and Transport, Óscar Puente, appear before parliament. The purpose is for the central government to outline its planned strategy to prevent a complete collapse of the passport control system at the airport.
A Call for Coordination Between Ministries
Valido is demanding better coordination between the two ministries to address the “deficiencies” in the airport’s border control service. She highlights that the current conditions inevitably “lead to the formation of hours-long queues for arriving non-EU passengers.” This problematic situation is poised to worsen considerably with the anticipated significant influx of British tourists to the island, a key market for Tenerife.
Pointing Fingers Instead of Finding Solutions
The nationalist deputy pointed to the Interior Ministry’s actions during previous incidents involving major passenger delays at border controls. In a statement, Valido noted that the Ministry’s typical response has been to deflect responsibility onto Aena (the Spanish airport operator) and the scheduling of flight times. Similarly, the Ministry of Transport has argued that the management of staff at border controls falls under the exclusive jurisdiction of the Interior Ministry.
Formal Demands for a Plan of Action
Given these precedents, the deputy registered a formal written question for both ministries. She questioned whether they have finally coordinated to ensure the island “stops seeing scenes that are unbefitting of a country that prides itself on being a world tourism powerhouse.” She also pressed for details on the specific actions planned to avoid a repeat of “the lamentable images from last year that were widely circulated in the British press,” which damaged the destination’s reputation.
Recent Measures and Past Incidents
In response to earlier criticism, the Interior Ministry did increase the number of National Police officers at Tenerife South Airport by adding 32 more agents starting July 1st. This measure, which represents a 32% increase in staff, aimed to “alleviate” the recurrent overcrowding at passport control, bringing the total number of officers at the facility to 132.
This action follows one of the most concerning episodes, which occurred on May 28th of this year. On that day, over 500 people were left accumulated at the airport’s border post for passport control. The massive queue formed due to a critical shortage of both personnel and effective technical resources, creating a frustrating welcome for visitors and a logistical nightmare for airport operations.
