The president acknowledges a “historic demand” following years of “temporary fixes” at Tenerife Sur and states that Tenerife Norte has become “insufficient”.
Santa Cruz de Tenerife, 5th February (Europa Press) –
The president of the Cabildo de Tenerife, Rosa Dávila, clarified on Wednesday that the renovations proposed by Aena at the two airports on the island, estimated at approximately 800 million Euros, are intended to attract “mass tourism” to the island but, in reality, will enhance service quality and improve the island’s standing as a destination.
In a press briefing to outline the decisions made by the Governing Council, she emphasised that airports must be “worthy of the destination being visited” as they serve as the “gateway” for tourists and visitors, with the establishment of a new terminal at Tenerife Sur being a “historic demand”.
She remarked that this airport “leaves much to be desired”, having only received “temporary fixes” since its establishment in 1977, while Tenerife Norte, described as “an airport of the Canaries essentially and which has already become too small”, now necessitates an expansion.
“We are discussing enhancements to the operations and functionality of the airports, integrating sustainability and security, whilst also anticipating better regulations that will affect us greatly in relation to the more mass tourism that is sought,” she stated.
The vice president and tourism advisor, Lope Afonso, highlighted that airport infrastructures are designed with a “great capacity that tends to exceed what is realistically achievable during their operational lifespan” and in this instance, the aim is to support services for decades.
He further explained that “it is essential to differentiate between the concept of a passenger and a visitor, who arrives for a specific holiday period before departing”, leading to a “distinct dynamic” between the two airports, particularly as air traffic in the North has increased due to the transport subsidy for residents.
“This direct relationship should not be interpreted as a desire for more visitors,” he noted, while indicating that in the destination repositioning policies promoted by the Cabildo, “the goal is not merely to increase the quantity, but to improve the quality of the visitor”, both regarding environmental awareness and spending capacity at the destination.
South train and tram stops
In this context, he mentioned that “the infrastructure is connected to the visitor experience” and the “overall perception of the destination”, asserting that with these investments, the island has the potential to compete with other destinations such as Málaga or Alicante, which also require significant investments.
“Thus, Tenerife will benefit by enhancing a crucial factor that contributes to competitiveness and also securing price improvements based on a higher quality visitor experience on the island, which is satisfactory and should not be overlooked,” he added.
Dávila noted that the technical plan for the new South Tenerife Terminal will be finalised by the end of the first semester, aiming to avoid further delays.
She mentioned that both projects will incorporate stops for the South Train as well as the tram in the future connection line with La Laguna, and for Tenerife Norte, this will involve an almost 50% expansion of the terminal on both sides.
