José Fernando Cabrera, the president of the Forum of Friends of the South of Tenerife (FAST), expresses regret over the “wall of silence” surrounding the fundamental project for the comprehensive renovation of Tenerife South Airport and the “lack of transparency” from AENA.
“This document, which is essential for the final construction project, was supposed to be delivered in May, and yet we have heard nothing; no one seems to have any information, and the silence is concerning; not even the minister has responded to CC deputy Cristina Valido,” Cabrera informed this newspaper yesterday. He emphasised the “extraordinary” advantages that the southern airport brings to AENA, which amount to around 150 million euros annually, making it “one of the most profitable, if not the most, of all those operated within national borders.”
The southern hotel entrepreneur also recalls that during the inauguration of the temporary terminal in May 2022, an event attended by the then-Minister of Transport Raquel Sánchez and AENA’s president, Maurici Lucena, “they assured us that a large, top-level terminal was to be constructed,” in alignment with air infrastructure of leading global tourist destinations.
Cabrera notes several “surprises” that, in his view, do not align with what was promised during that meeting. One of the issues is that the budget for drafting the project was set at five million euros, “whereas a project of this magnitude requires at least 10 million for international architects to get involved.” He recalls that “the contract was eventually awarded to a national consulting firm, with cuts of between 30% and 40%,” which he deemed “alarming.”
Furthermore, he lamented that “within the AENA competition rules, price was allocated more points than quality, when state regulations dictate that in public tenders, quality should account for a minimum of 51% of the scoring.”
The president of FAST also highlighted that during Carlos Alonso’s tenure as head of the Cabildo, a monitoring commission was established, which included various business sectors from Tenerife and featured the regional director of AENA to discuss the project. “Since Alonso’s departure, no further meetings have been convened.”
LONG QUEUES
Concerning the long queues forming outside the airport for taxis, the former president of Ashotel questions, “why has the proposal for designating a sensitive area in the Cabildo been halted; I lack information about the reasons” and characterised the lengthy lines that frequently occur, when only Granadilla and San Miguel taxis are permitted to collect passengers, as “unacceptable.”
Regarding the queues faced by British travellers at passport control, he suggested that with “two or three” additional police officers, the issue could be resolved. “It’s a shame, as the image it conveys of Tenerife is severely tarnished, and if the minister truly wanted to, it could be sorted out in five minutes,” he stated. He also called for the activation of facial recognition machines.
