The President of Lanzarote’s Tourist Federation has described long queues at the island’s airport as ‘unacceptable’ and damaging to the destination’s reputation, but she warned solving the problem would not be easy.
Susana Pérez said there are regular queues of between 2,000 and 4,000 passengers waiting for at least two hours to get their passports stamped at César Manrique–Lanzarote Airport, adding ‘solutions must be found’.
She told Lanzarote’s Lancelot TV the delays are not only inconvenient but they damage the island’s image as a welcoming destination.
“After a four- or five-hour journey, mainly from the United Kingdom, on top of the time spent arriving early at their departure airport and traveling from home, passengers encounter delays that sometimes exceed three or even four hours,” she said.
Spain’s Interior Ministry has installed 30 Entry/Exit System (EES) machines for non-EU tourists but Susana said the number was insufficient and the software was prone to errors, local news service Gazette Life reports.
“Right now, there’s a double check that slows down the whole process,” she said.
She has met with representatives of the airport’s owner, AENA, and the Spanish Government, but said space limitations and the difficultly in adjusting flight schedules to certain time slots means there is not a simple solution.
Brits are also facing delays departing Lanzarote. Last month, 89 Ryanair passengers missed their return flight to Bristol when passport control delays at the airport prevented them from reaching the gate in time.
Ryanair said the delays were due to staff shortages at Border Control, while Advantage Travel Partnership and ABTA warned queues would get longer during busy times such as the upcoming Easter holidays.
Advantage CEO Julia Lo-Bue Said said: “We continue to strongly urge all travellers to allow ample time when planning their journeys. Travellers should plan accordingly and prepare for the worst in terms of clearing passport control points.”
ABTA said Brits should ‘go to passport control as soon as possible’.
