The airlines denounce the few passport checkpoints, which cause border crossings at airports with the most tourist traffic to collapse, such as Madrid, Malaga or Alicante
All Spanish tourists who take the plane to a country outside the European Union or who arrive in our country from them must pass through a passport control that has “collapsed” since the United Kingdom left the EU. This is acknowledged by airline sources, who report that 3,000 tourists only lost their connecting flight at Madrid-Barajas airport during Easter due to long waits at border crossings.
The Association of Air Lines (ALA) is calling for police reinforcements at the airports with the most international traffic. To get an idea of the situation, the Madrid airport border post is equipped with a total of 902 police officers, but only 75% of the posts are covered, well below the 93% of 2019 and 2020, before the pandemic. In a parliamentary response to Vox, who asked the government about the issue back in January, they assured that the decrease in the number of troops was the result of the “major decrease in international air traffic” caused by the pandemic. The problem is that with this traffic almost fully restored, police forces are still minimal.
In terminal 4 (T4) of Madrid airport, where Iberia operates its national and international flights, there are many problems. Aviation sources acknowledge that nearly 15,000 customers have missed their flights since March 1, a situation “cannot afford” by a country that lives off tourism and where 80% of tourists arrive by air. Iberian.
And these are not only international tourists who visit our country, but also all Spaniards who make a stopover in Madrid to go to or from a destination outside the European Union – including the United Kingdom. A situation that will worsen this summer by multiplying the number of flights thanks to the opening to tourism of most countries in the world.
From ALA, they ensure that the greatest congestion of passenger traffic occurs at the airports with the most tourist traffic, such as those of Madrid, Malaga, Alicante, Palma de Mallorca or Tenerife Sur. For this reason, they request that passengers with origin or destination in the United Kingdom can exceptionally go through automatic passenger checks in order to speed up traffic.
Source: La Verdad
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
