Cabildo President Oswaldo Betancort has again expressed “concern” about the delays that are being caused by short staffing at the passport control posts at Lanzarote’s César Manrique Airport.
After the stress of planning, packing and travelling to a British airport to catch a five-hour flight, all any tourist wants to do on arrival in Lanzarote is get to their accommodation and rest. Instead, hundreds of arrivals have been forced to wait for up to two hours in order to get their passports stamped.
Long queues have been regular occurrences at César Manrique Airport since June, when national police agents on border control duty were ordered to stamp British passports in the same way as all other third-country passports. Some passengers have even missed flights as a result of the delays.
In July, concerned about the image that the island was receiving among its largest tourist market, Cabildo President Oswaldo Betancort petitioned Anselmo Pestana, the Spanish Government delegate for the Canary Islands, to increase staffing and facilities at the airport in order to “guarantee safety and efficiency.”
At a further meeting with Pestana last month, Betancort raised several “critical points” and asked for precise information about human resources at the airport and plans for future increases in staffing.” Currently, around 30 police work at the airport, but it is estimated that at least double that number are required to run a guaranteed service.
Betancort said “I strongly urge the Government of Spain to pay attention to our needs and provide the necessary resources to ensure that Lanzarote and La Graciosa can offer an adequate service to both residents and tourists.”
“The first impression that tourists have of our island cannot be long waits and lack of attention. Security services at the airport must be improved to maintain Lanzarote’s reputation as a quality tourist destination,” he added.
Currently, e-gates that automatically scan passports are not connected to the Schengen database, although it is planned that they will be up and running after the EES (European Entry System) comes into force on November 10th.
However, more delays are likely to occur when the EES commences, as all British visitors will be required to provide fingerprints and a facial scan on their first visit to the Schengen zone.
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