Tourists were stuck in ‘hell’ last week, with passport control queues long and slow. Up to 500 people were waiting in the queue at Tenerife South Reina Sofia Airport, having arrived from the UK.
Only two of the passport control lanes were open, with four Policia Nacional officers dealing with the tourists. There have been reports that it took some people two hours to get through. This is becoming typical for non-Schengen Zone arrivals to Tenerife South. Lourdes Torrecillas, who had flown in from Bristol, described the situation as “claustrophobic” and “third world” to the Diario de Avisos.
She said: “They kept us on the plane for 45 minutes without being able to leave and when we arrived at the terminal the escalators were not working.
“Once inside, we couldn’t move our arms, we could barely breathe, and people were sweating. Some parents lifted their children onto their shoulders to stop them from suffocating.
“These people, who come here to spend their savings, cannot be treated like sheep that go to the slaughterhouse, mistreating them and lacking their dignity.”
Lourdes also raised concerns about the lack of toilets and medical support, claiming that airport staff told her similar scenes occur nearly every night – with passengers regularly fainting or experiencing serious health problems while waiting.
Following the Tenerife incident, the President of Tenerife’s ruling council, Rosa Dávila, has called an emergency meeting. She called the situation “unacceptable” but blamed it on lax border staffing post-Brexit.
She said: “There’s a serious lack of respect towards Tenerife. We’re managing essential services locally, but without state support, we’re being left to fail.”
