The Port Authority and the City Council of Arona have reinforced the operation since yesterday in the port of Los Cristianos on the occasion of the exit operation of Holy Week. The first wave of passengers to the western islands, especially to La Gomera and La Palma, will generate between yesterday and today a movement of 9,200 passengers and 2,600 vehicles, figures that will pick up next Wednesday and Holy Thursday.
Four departures are expected today, between 8:30 am and 2:00 pm, with an estimated movement of 3,750 passengers and 1,050 vehicles, according to information provided by the port entity. The occupancy expectations are 100% by the shipping companies Fred. Olsen and Armas, which have increased the number of ferry rotations, so it is assumed that a traffic record will be recorded.
Holy Week, together with the summer months and Christmas, concentrate the majority of passenger and vehicle movements throughout the year, which complicates operations in the port of Los Cristianos, with serious space limitations, and forces to a great coordination between all the operators (port, shipping companies, Port Police, Local Police and Civil Protection) to try to reduce traffic jams at the dock and in the city.
In this sense, the Port Authority, in collaboration with the Arona City Council and the shipping companies themselves, have designed an “anti-blockade” plan when entering or leaving the southern dock on these dates. The action protocol includes permanent communication between the companies Fred. Olsen y Armas and those responsible for the port to permanently update shipping forecasts in order to take advantage of the total area of the shipping esplanades. Port Police and Local Police will increase their troops to meet the anticipated demand for passengers.
The port of Los Cristianos is among those with the highest passenger movement in all of Spain, as confirmed to this newspaper by Javier Mora, director of the Port Authority of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, who highlighted the growth in demand to travel to La Palma in recent years, until doubling its volume of traffic. Even so, the destination with the most travelers is still La Gomera.
Almost one and a half million passengers embarked or disembarked in 2021 at the aronero port, according to data from the Port Authority.
