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ARCHIVED - Chaos at Spanish airport leaves 3,000 passengers stranded over Easter
A shortage of passport control staff in airports in Spain threatens the summer season
For weeks now, passengers at UK airports have been complaining of huge queues and long delays due to the shortage of staff and complicated security controls, but Spanish airports also felt the pressure over Easter week, as some 3,000 travellers missed their flights at the Adolfo Suarez-Madrid Barajas airport because of a lack of personnel.
Every airport welcomed an influx of tourists during the first Holy Week without restrictions since the beginning of the pandemic, but the resultant chaos is causing airlines to fear a disastrous summer season, especially for non-EU travellers, like Britons.
More than 18 million UK passengers travelled through Spanish airports in 2019, and with a relaxation of travel restrictions, Spain’s top visitors are expected to return en masse this summer. The airlines have repeatedly asked the government to add more staff to airport passport control and security checks but the matter remains unresolved, and the president of ALA has warned that this ongoing situation will surely have “a negative impact on the international image of Spain.”
The issue is made all the more critical by the plans to install a new air traffic control system over French airspace, a task which several airlines have already warned will lead to severe delays and disruptions over the summer.
This is not the only concern of airlines, however, as the price of fuel for planes, which represents 30% of their costs, has doubled as a result of the war in Ukraine. For now, the majority don’t believe this increase will be reflected in the price of airline tickets, but that could all change “if the situation continues over time.”
Despite the challenges, Spain is preparing for a strong summer season and the airlines currently have 212 million seats scheduled, which is just 0.6% fewer than in 2019.
Image: Archive
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