"Hoteliers and tourism bosses are calling for more police and fully functioning passport control machines at Spanish airports to fix the problem of long waits for Brits and other non-EU tourists since the rollout of the EU's new Entry Exit System. The Spanish Confederation of Hotels and Tourist Accommodation (CEHAT) has urged Spain's Interior Ministry to immediately bolster police numbers at Spanish airports and ensure the full operation of new EES control systems."
"According to the group, the long queues and waiting times at passport control have become "a structural problem that seriously damages tourists' experiences as well as Spain's image as a top-level tourist destination in a highly competitive environment." CEHAT points out that this problem, denounced on numerous occasions by hotel associations in different parts of the country, is particularly troublesome at airports with a high influx of international passengers, such as Malaga, Tenerife South or Lanzarote, among other prominent tourist destinations."
"At these airports, the massive flow of non-EU travellers, particularly from the UK since Brexit, have caused hour-long queues at border controls, and the introduction of e-gates since EES came into force in October 2025 has done little to speed up the transfer of passengers. Many passengers have reported that not many of the e-gates are not in use or working, and that there aren't enough police officers at the passport control booths either, with plenty of confusion among passengers about which queue they should be in and how and if to give their fingerprints."
CEHAT urged Spain's Interior Ministry to increase police presence at airports and ensure full operation of the Entry Exit System (EES) controls. Long queues at passport control are described as a structural problem harming tourists' experiences and Spain's image as a top-level destination. The issue is worst at high-traffic airports such as Malaga, Tenerife South and Lanzarote. Hour-long waits affect many non-EU travellers, especially UK visitors since Brexit. The rollout of e-gates in October 2025 has not significantly improved flows. Many e-gates are unused or malfunctioning, staffing is insufficient, and passengers face confusion over queues and fingerprint procedures.
Read at www.thelocal.es
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