Tenerife Council Grows Tired of Waiting for South Airport Upgrades

The president of the Tenerife Cabildo, Rosa Dávila, and the vice president, Lope Afonso, continue to demand that the central Government solve the personnel deficit that creates a frequent problem of delays at the border control of Tenerife South Airport. This issue especially affects British tourism.

This situation has occurred periodically since the United Kingdom left the European Union and the consequent application of Brexit, on January 31, 2020. The Tenerife Cabildo has made various efforts with the State Government to demand solutions. Given the recurring problem, which worsens during the winter tourist season, the president of the cabildo, Rosa Dávila, sent a formal letter to the Minister of the Interior, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, in November 2024, alerting about this situation, without having received more than an acknowledgment and a brief “thank you.” In her opinion, “it is a lack of consideration towards this Island and the effort we are making from the local level to sustain essential services.”

Urgent Meeting

Considering that “we are facing a structural situation, not an isolated event, we cannot continue operating with the same number of agents as before Brexit.” Given the urgency for solutions, they have requested an urgent meeting with the Government subdelegate in the province of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Jesús Javier Plata, and with Aena officials in the Canary Islands.

The island Government made public its concern this week. The vice president and Tourism counselor, Lope Afonso, emphasized the impact that these types of situations have on the tourist image of Tenerife: “We cannot allow the first contact with the Island for our visitors to be an endless wait in uncomfortable conditions, after hours of flying. This directly affects the tourist experience and Tenerife’s reputation as a quality destination.”

Effective Personnel and Tools

In recent years, delays and waits of more than two hours for travelers arriving on the Island have been common at Tenerife South Airport facilities. The first difficulty is experienced at passport control and the second, accessing the taxi service. While the latter seems to have improved in recent months, the border post still requires more personnel and effective tools.

At the end of last year, the Minister of the Interior, Fernando Gómez-Marlaska, explained to the Lower House that Tenerife South Airport has 18% more police officers and assured that they are “working and collaborating” with Aena and operators to avoid the concentration of flights and to prevent congestions at passport control. He also recognized that it is a “really complex” situation and emphasized that one of the main issues generating it is that many airlines operating at the South airport concentrate flights on two days and at a schedule which, in addition, generates delays and advances in the operation, factors that contribute to the congestion.

Penultimate Episode

He said this in response to a question posed by the deputy Cristina Valido, from the Canary Coalition. However, last Monday, the coincidence of several flights from the United Kingdom generated an especially high volume of passengers, including numerous families and minors. The deficient automated control system remains a factor that contributes to the problem.

“Since the new passenger terminal of Tenerife South was launched (May 25, 2022), even before, we have lacked personnel at border controls to absorb the influx of tourists especially from the United Kingdom and especially on Tuesdays and Fridays, when most flights come from this country,” said the Federal Police Union (UFP).

The Canary Islands Parliament also approved a Non-Lawmaking Proposal on increasing police resources and personnel at Tenerife South Airport for processing half a year ago.

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