Tenerife South Airport Delays Persist Despite Official Denial

Tenerife South Airport (TFS) has recently faced significant problems again, causing long waits and spoiling the arrival experience for thousands of tourists. Reports indicate crowded areas at passport control and outside where people wait for buses and taxis.

This issue mainly impacts travellers from outside the Schengen area, especially British tourists, who are vital to the island's economy. People have reported major delays, with some waiting over two hours for transport after landing, particularly last Thursday and Friday.

José Fernando Cabrera, president of the Friends of South Tenerife Forum (FAST), called the situation "unacceptable" and stressed that it's not a new problem. His group had raised concerns about similar issues earlier this month and before. The repeated problems worry the tourism industry, as they threaten the reputation of a destination that spends a lot on promoting itself internationally. Ashotel, Tenerife's hotel association, has also voiced its concern about the lack of real solutions.

However, the Ministry of Interior has denied "repeated crowds" at the airport, stating that it "operates normally" and that any delays were "isolated." This view clashes with complaints from passengers and warnings from local businesses and community groups, who say the problems are directly harming the local economy and people.

A key issue seems to be the passport control system. Tenerife South has 36 biometric machines, installed to speed up processing for non-Schengen travellers as part of the new European Entry/Exit System (EES), which started in November. However, social media users report that only five of these machines are actually working. This technical fault, combined with what many see as a poor response from Aena (the airport operator) and the Ministry of Interior, has led Cabrera to call for "strong action" from authorities to fix a situation he believes is "needlessly damaging" the tourist destination.