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.”
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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.”