Crazy queues at Tenerife South Airport as only 15% of new EES machines are working
Only 15% of the new biometric passport control machines at Tenerife South Airport are currently operational, with just five out of 36 new Entry/Exit System (EES) eGates in use. The breakdowns have caused major bottlenecks at the border control area, with queues backed up so far that, yesterday, they were outside the terminal onto the tarmac.
According to sources cited by local media, many of the machines have experienced technical failures since their installation in November, including door malfunctions and connection issues. As a result, at least a dozen units remain out of service. Waiting times have exceeded 90 minutes, generating frustration among arriving passengers.
Hotel association Ashotel condemned what it describes as yet another episode of severe delays for holidaymakers, an issue the organisation says has become routine, despite repeated warnings over recent years. The group blames a “combination of inaction” by AENA, responsible for airport infrastructure, and the Ministry of the Interior, which oversees staffing and border-control technology. The result, they argue, is a form of “permanent and systematic mistreatment” of tourists entering the Canary Islands.
José Fernando Cabrera, president of FAST (Foro Amigos del Sur), stressed the potential damage to Tenerife’s key British tourism market, calling the situation “an entrenched problem that AENA has been unable to resolve so far”. Previous incidents have also drawn complaints, with waiting times far exceeding acceptable standards for a major international airport.
The Ministry of the Interior, however, denies that a structural problem exists, insisting the airport is “operating normally”. Officials state they have “no record of repeated overcrowding” and attribute the delays to isolated clusters of flight arrivals and temporary IT issues.
The situation continues to raise concerns with passengers and the tourism sector, which warns that prolonged passport-control queues represent a growing threat to the Canary Islands’ international image.
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