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Local Spain
02-06-2025
- Politics
- Local Spain
Tenerife airport chaos strengthens case for Brits' e-gate access in Spain
Several UK tabloids recently reported how on May 26th hundreds of British holidaymakers faced "third-world', 'inhumane' and "cattle-like" conditions at Tenerife South Airport. As four UK flights landed in quick succession, a bottleneck formed at passport control which meant passengers queued for more than two hours in stifling and overcrowded airport lounges. Travellers complained that only two booths were manned for hundreds of British visitors, as well as speaking out about the 'claustrophobic' conditions and no access to toilets. The problems were reported to have been made worse by the fact that children were unable to use e-gates to check their passports. Rosa Dávila, president of Tenerife's Council, called an emergency meeting after the incident saying that chaos and long queues have become a common problem at the airport during peak tourist periods. Dávila called the situation 'unacceptable' and blamed Madrid for failing to provide sufficient immigration officers to the Canary island since Brexit. 'This is a structural issue,' she explained. We can't continue to operate with the same staffing levels we had pre-Brexit'. The incident strengthens the case for Britons to be able to use e-gates in Spain - without the need for a passport stamp - as soon as possible, in order to avoid repeats and potential crushes at passport control. Spain is one of only a handful of EU countries already allowing limited e-gate access for UK citizens, but only at selected airports. Even then, they often still require a passport stamp, despite their passport also being processed automatically. During the recent UK-EU 'reset' talks, the UK and the European Commission promised to "continue their exchanges on smooth border management for the benefit of their citizens, including the potential use of e-gates where appropriate". They stated that "there will be no legal barriers to e-gates use for British nationals travelling to and from the European Union member states after the introduction of the European Union Entry/Exit System". This means that it's likely that UK citizens will not have access to e-gates until the introduction of the new EES (Entry/Exit System), which scheduled for later this year in October 2025. "After that it's up to the member states. But this gives us the possibility, I'd say the probability, that people will be able to use the e-gates in future, which is not a possibility at the moment," Cabinet Office minister Pat McFadden told the BBC. Unfortunately, this won't help the situation this summer when thousands of Brits will be descending on Spain for their annual holidays, with the potential to cause chaos at even more airports across the country, not just in Tenerife. Spain has long been a favourite holiday destination for British tourists and the Spain-UK route is one of the busiest flight routes in the world. Spain received more than 17.5 million British holidaymakers during the first 11 months of 2024. There are also over 400,000 UK nationals officially registered as living in Spain according to Spain's National Institute of Statistics (INE) data from 2024. Recent events at Tenerife South Airport highlight the recurring problems that come about since barriers were put in up between two countries linked together by more than 200 daily flights. Even though granting British travellers access to all Spanish airports' e-gates seems like a feasible way to reduce these Brexit-fuelled holdups, there are fears that the implementation of the EES across the EU in October will also cause chaos before the system is running smoothly. However, once EES is fully operational, and queues for passport stamps are no longer necessary, it's possible that scenes such as that at Tenerife South will be a thing of the past.
The Irish Sun
30-05-2025
- The Irish Sun
Brits forced into HUGE queues at Spain airport fearing kids would ‘suffocate' in lines so big planes couldn't disembark
HUNDREDS of Brit tourists have been trapped like cattle in "inhuman" conditions at a Spanish airport - forcing politicians into a crisis meeting. Parents had to lift their children in the air to "stop them suffocating" in the crush at Were you stuck in the queues at Tenerife airport? Email 5 Hundreds of people queued out of the building to be allowed into Tenerife Credit: Tiktok 5 Inside, people were crammed like cattle in stuffy and 'inhuman' conditions Credit: Tiktok 5 Some passengers arriving at Tenerife airport were even forced to wait on the plane for almost an hour Credit: Getty Around 500 holidaymakers Several UK flights arrived in quick succession , and there were just two passport booths staff by four officers on hand to process the hoards. Progress was agonisingly slow - with passengers crammed in line for over two hours before finally getting through. read more on spain's airports Some were even held on the stuffy plane on the runway for almost an hour while the backlog cleared. Conditions were sweltering inside Lourdes Torrecillas, a Tenerife resident returning from Bristol, told local media the situation "claustrophobic" and "third world". She was made to sit on the plane for 45 minutes and said: "Once inside, we couldn't move our arms, we could barely breathe, and people were sweating. Most read in The Sun "Some parents lifted their children onto their shoulders to stop them from suffocating. There were no toilets, and people were visibly distressed.' The local fumed: 'This was an inhumane wait. These are people who've paid to enjoy a few days of sunshine, they shouldn't be treated like cattle.' Major Brit holiday airport fumigated after infestation of BEDBUGS with passengers & airline staff reporting itchy bites Lourdes slammed the lack of medical care and revealed that the airline did not even provide children with water. She also claimed staff said the airport descends into similar chaos "almost every night". But the exhausted passenger ultimately laid the blame at the feet of the airport operator, AENA, and called on the government to boost the workforce. One of the reasons behind Monday's bedlam was that the airport's automatic check in system could not process children's passports. This led to families with restless kids and piles of luggage stranded in crowds for hours. 5 There were just two passport booths run by four officers processing the crowds Credit: Tiktok 5 Tenerife is a hugely popular holiday destination thanks to its idyllic coastline Credit: Getty The President of Tenerife's ruling council, Rosa Dávila, called an emergency meeting following the mayhem. She admitted the situation was "unacceptable", but blamed a lack of border staff which she said has been a problem ever since Brexit. Similar chaos has played out at the airport in the past during peak tourism season. Dávila said she had written to mainland politicians but feels abandoned by them. She vented: "There's a serious lack of respect towards Tenerife. "We're managing essential services locally, but without state support, we're being left to fail ." What are the passport rules? The Sun's Head of Travel Lisa Minot has explained exactly what Brits need to know. "Travellers used to be able to roll over up to nine unused months from their old passport onto a new one. "But post-Brexit, anyone wanting to travel to the EU can no longer rely on those extra months. "In order to travel to the EU, all passports must be no more than 10 years old on the day you arrive in your European destination. "And you'll need at least three months on your passport on the day you head back to the UK. "Figures have shown up to 100,000 holidaymakers a year face being turned away at airports if their passport is more than 10 years old. "The 10-year rule only applies to countries in the European Union but every country may have different rules on what is accepted - some countries like South Africa, for example, insist you have at least six months left on your passport when you travel and a full clear page." The Tenerife hotel association, Ashotel, has repeatedly warned that these intolerable delays will spoil the island's reputation and deter Brits from coming. Tenerife's Tourism Minister, Lope Afonso, warned: "This is the first impression our visitors get. "After hours on a plane, they're met with long waits and no explanation. "It's not acceptable, and it's hurting our brand as a quality tourist destination." He continued: "Tenerife competes globally. Other countries have adapted their systems since Brexit. Why haven't we? "We need immediate solutions to avoid this happening again, especially with the busy summer season ahead."
Daily Mirror
30-05-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mirror
Spanish officials face emergency after Brits experience 'inhumane' queues
Hundreds of British holidaymakers found themselves trapped in 'inhumane conditions' at a packed Spanish airport with just two booths open to check their passports An emergency meeting has been called among top Spanish politicians after British travellers found themselves trapped in two-hour queues and "inhuman" conditions at the start of the school holidays, before even making it through passport control. On Monday (May 26), around 500 UK holidaymakers found themselves stuck waiting on the tarmac at Tenerife South Airport for up to 45 minutes, before disembarking to find broken-down escalators and vast lines stretching in and out of the terminal to have their passports checked. At the airport, some travellers reported seeing four officials manning just two passport control booths. As a result, passengers were crammed into a situation described as "claustrophobic" and "third world". Lourdes Tourecillas, a local resident who was returning from Bristol, told Canarian Weekly that, "Some parents lifted their children onto their shoulders to stop them from suffocating," adding, "there were no toilets, and people were visibly distressed.' The President of Tenerife's ruling council, Rosa Dávila, has called an emergency meeting in light of the incident, with chaos and long queues becoming a common problem at the busy airport during peak tourism periods. Dávila called the situation "unacceptable" but blamed the situation on the continued failure to provide sufficient staff for border checks ever since the UK left the European Union. She added: 'This is a structural issue. We can't continue to operate with the same staffing levels we had pre-Brexit." A major issue facing travellers on Monday was the inability of the airport's automated checking systems to process children's passports. This meant families having to queue with kids and baggage for hours in sweltering, lengthy, lines to kick off their holidays. The council's President said she had written to mainland politicians, but received no meaningful response. "There's a serious lack of respect towards Tenerife. We're managing essential services locally, but without state support, we're being left to fail,' she said. Lope Afonso, Tenerife's Tourism Minister, warned: 'This is the first impression our visitors get. After hours on a plane, they're met with long waits and no explanation. It's not acceptable, and it's hurting our brand as a quality tourist destination,' he said. 'Tenerife competes globally. Other countries have adapted their systems since Brexit. Why haven't we?' He also had a warning for summer travellers, if mainland politicians don't take action, saying: "We need immediate solutions to avoid this happening again, especially with the busy summer season ahead."
Times
08-05-2025
- Times
Visitors to Spain's tallest mountain will face ‘eco tax'
Tourists visiting Teide, Spain's tallest mountain, on the Canary island of Tenerife will be charged an 'eco tax'. It will be levied next year after complaints about 'overtourism' in Teide national park. Rosa Dávila, the head of Tenerife's governing council, said that security cameras would also be installed to control the number of visitors to the park. Dávila has not revealed what number of people was considered excessive and what would happen when the system detected 'saturation' in the national park. Environmental groups said that the measures were insufficient, and have demanded a substantial reduction to the more than four million visitors to the national park every year. Tenerife's government also announced this week that a tourist tax would be charged on all tourists visiting
