Noticeably increased travel demand, expansion of available destinations and lengthy medical checks have wreaked havoc at the airport in the popular Spanish resort of Gran Canaria. For a long time, the crowd of tourists was in the covered premises of the airport, stepping on each other’s heels – such a tense picture was formed from the numerous angry statements of tourists on social networks and statements by the airport management.
The overcrowding of the island resort’s airport led to total chaos. At the same time, experts were quick to call what was happening completely unacceptable, since giant queues harm the reputation of the island, contradict antiquity norms and threaten human health. Sector specialists urged to attract additional personnel to solve problems with long queues and chaos at border control. The furious tourists also blamed the delay on antique medical examinations.
As the Federation of Hospitality and Tourism Entrepreneurs (FEHT) of Las Palmas, the resort capital and largest city of the Canary Islands, noted, the airport is currently on the verge of collapse. This was confirmed by the president of the organization, Jose Maria Manyaricua. This weekend, thousands of foreign tourists stood in chaotic lines for medical examinations. Photos posted on social media showed hundreds of passengers “glued to each other and not keeping social distance.” “Is a mockery! We are here like herring in a barrel, ”- similar angry comments were left by the resort guests who got stuck at the airport.
424 flights were scheduled for Saturday. This means that the Spanish airport had to check more than 52,000 tourists. According to Aena, only eight counters have been opened for Schengen passengers and eight more for the rest. The gigantic influx of travelers led to the fact that the terminal “lay” at certain moments and could no longer serve passengers. The situation was no better on Sunday, although there were fewer flights – only 355.
“Hundreds of passengers waiting in line without a minimum distance with a nearby tourist is very bad for the image of the destination,” – said the head of the federation.
In turn, the Tourism Association said that the airport had to be ready for large queues, as it knew how many flights were planned. At the same time, the airport management has not yet commented on further actions to unload the queues.
Gran Canaria is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the Canary Islands for foreign tourists, including Russians. The resort island is famous for its beaches with both white and black volcanic sand.
