Tenerife Airport Passport Delays Spark Tourism Crisis Fears
Canary Islands tourism leaders are warning that persistent passport control delays and long taxi queues at Tenerife South Airport are severely damaging the islands' reputation and threatening future visitor numbers.
Delays at passport control at Tenerife South Airport are once again causing concern for the Canary Islands tourism industry. They say this is a long-standing problem that seriously harms the islands' reputation. Ashotel, the hotel association, has warned that long queues for international arrivals, especially for UK travelers, show a problem that authorities haven't fixed for years.
The business group blames a lack of teamwork between AENA, which runs the airport, and the Ministry of Interior, which provides police and border control equipment. This issue has recently become clear through viral social media videos, one seen over eight million times, showing crowded passengers. Also, about twenty biometric machines aren't working, a problem Ashotel has been reporting for more than three years.
Jorge Marichal, president of the association, said he's baffled by the lack of solutions. He pointed out that these problems were expected after the UK left the European Union. Five years after Brexit, the situation hasn't gotten better; in fact, it's worse because more passengers are coming through. Tenerife South Airport, the seventh busiest in the AENA network, handled 13.9 million travelers and over 92,000 flights in 2025. These numbers show how important it is to manage things well.
Ashotel has asked the Government delegate in the Canary Islands to quickly fix the shortage of police officers during busy times. They also reminded the regional government that there are laws to penalize this situation. Under the Canary Islands Tourism Planning Law, it's considered a very serious offense because it harms the islands' tourism reputation.
On top of the passport control delays, there's also a problem with long waits for taxis after leaving the airport. The association is again asking for a shared taxi service area. This would let taxis from all over the island work at key places like ports and airports, stopping hundreds of travelers from waiting over an hour to reach their hotels.
The tourism industry warns that if these problems aren't fixed, the Canary Islands could become less attractive as a holiday spot. Marichal clearly stated, "if the gateway doesn't work, users will look for another." He was referring to how vital tourism is to the islands, providing over 35% of their economy (GDP) and 40% of jobs, and supporting many public services.