Canary Island airport 'nightmare' experience as passengers face lengthy queues

Dublin Live

05-05-2025

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As the summer holiday buzz kicks in, Irish holidaymakers are busy plotting their escapes to sun-soaked spots.
Lanzarote, a gem among the Canary Islands, is a top pick for Irish travellers - but for some, their holiday begins not with relaxation but with frustration at the airport before they even set foot in their hotel.
Lanzarote's Cesar Manrique-Lanzarote Airport, a key gateway to the Canaries, is now facing mounting criticism as passengers report chaotic queues, long waits for luggage and frustrating delays in getting a taxi. As more Irish holidaymakers prepare for the summer getaways, concerns are growing about how well the airport is equipped to handle the expected surge in visitors.
The island's president Oswaldo Betancor has called for urgent action, acknowledging the ongoing issues at the airport. He has demanded a meeting with the Spanish airport authority AENA to address the ongoing issues and is particularly concerned with insufficient staffing levels, reports the Irish Mirror.
Mr Betancort said: "It is unacceptable that residents and visitors have to endure long waits due to insufficient staff at security checkpoints. More human and material resources are needed to guarantee efficient operation."
The issue comes in the wake of a whopping 800,000 passengers travelling through the airport this March alone. For many holidaymakers, including the Irish contingent, the first taste of their break is getting soured by long, uncomfortable waits.
Travellers are expressing frustration over significant delays for baggage retrieval and passport control – and that's just the beginning. Once they navigate through the terminal, many are faced with further disappointment, struggling to secure a taxi.
A UK tourist who recently arrived at Lanzarote recounted their ordeal, stating: "We were very shocked at the taxi situation at the airport. It took us about an hour to get through passports and to collect our luggage, so we were looking forward to getting to our hotel. However, we were shocked to find a really massive queue at the taxi rank which literally snaked around the concourse. We had absolutely no choice but to join that queue, which must have been at least 300 people."
They continued: "It took us 55 minutes in total to get a taxi, which did nothing for our mood or Lanzarote's reputation! When we asked a taxi driver what the problem was, he said there were not enough taxis to cope with the number of arrivals. The time, we must point out, was 7.30pm, so probably not even the busiest time of the day."
Mirror UK journalist Victoria Chessum also recently traveled through Lanzarote Airport and shared her frustration: "I visited Lanzarote out of peak-season, and therefore ignorantly expected the airport to at least be manageable in terms of queues. While checking-in was super easy, along with bag-drop, navigating the small and disproportionate terminal building was not. Armed with a sleepy toddler, a pram, and a few hand luggage bags, the whole experience quickly escalated into something of a nightmare."
Local residents share the same concerns, saying there is a "significant mismatch" between supply and demand and that something needs to be done. Authorities have begun talks with the taxi association, hoping to implement a digitalised system to improve the flow of passengers and reduce wait times.
Despite the current chaos, there is hope for the future. The airport has laid out plans for expansion and upgrades as part of its Master Plan. The goal is to remodel Terminal 1, expanding check-in, boarding and security areas to accommodate more passengers efficiently. The airport also intends to connect Terminals 1 and 2 in the boarding area, once security control has been passed, to streamline passenger flow. These plans are expected to improve operational efficiency and overall service quality at the airport in the coming years.
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