Long queues at Tenerife South Airport as new EU passport checks cause ‘chaos’
Passengers at Tenerife South Airport faced long queues and heavy congestion on Friday in departures and arrivals as the terminal continued testing the EU’s new Entry/Exit System (EES) for non-Schengen travellers.
A video recorded around 11:00am on 21st November showed lines of passengers stretching through large parts of the arrivals area, sparking frustration among tourists and residents alike.
Shared widely on social media, the footage captured a dense flow of travellers waiting to complete the new biometric passport process. The person who filmed the scene warned: “Chaos at Tenerife South Airport today. Anyone travelling to the UK should prepare for passport-control queues!”
What’s causing the delays?
The disruption comes during the early rollout of the EES, a European Union system designed to automate the registration of third-country nationals. It collects biometric data, including fingerprints and facial images, alongside passport information, and will gradually replace manual passport stamping.
According to Spain’s Ministry of the Interior, implementation will be phased in until 10th April 2026, meaning automated checks will run alongside the traditional system for many months. Tenerife South activated EES on 6th November, and authorities have warned that delays are likely during this initial period, especially at peak times.
UK travellers most affected
Congestion is particularly heavy when several flights from the United Kingdom arrive close together, a long-standing issue since Brexit placed British visitors in the non-Schengen category. The UK remains one of the island’s largest tourism markets, and recent data from Turespaña shows that 26.2% of UK travellers to Spain choose the Canary Islands, increasing pressure at border-control points.
Ongoing concerns about airport capacity
The scenes of overcrowding are not new. Local authorities, tourism businesses, and passengers have repeatedly raised concerns about saturation in Tenerife South’s arrivals hall. In recent years, travellers have reported long waits, cramped corridors and difficulty moving through the passport-control area.
Advice for travellers
Both local authorities and the British Embassy have urged passengers, especially those flying to destinations outside the Schengen Area, to arrive at the airport earlier than usual to avoid missing flights during the adjustment period.
Tenerife South, one of the busiest airports in the Canary Islands, is expected to experience similar bottlenecks as EES becomes fully operational, particularly during peak holiday seasons.
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