The Canary Islands have been loudly banging the drum over huge tourist numbers affecting their everyday lives.
While the suggestion is for the government to wake up and change the tourist model, on a recent trip through Lanzarote’s only airport, my initial inclination was the infrastructure is grossly out-of-date.
Lanzarote has a huge total of visitors each year, with 56.7 percent being Brits. The Irish and Germans make up 11.9 percent and 10.2 percent respectively. So it goes without saying, Lanzarote’s tourism economy is booming – and even with some ill-feeling from locals, that’s not about to change.
But there’s one thing that is hampering the movement of residents – and tourists – and that’s the current airport, of which the island has just one.
Arrecife Airport, in the eastern end of the island, appears like any other when you land. Its single-storey, rectangular terminal building looks like any other European airport.
But it accommodates nine million passengers annually, and despite this healthy number representing a good economy, the airport itself struggles.
When the going gets good, well, this airport doesn’t really get going – as I experienced when it was blighted by a series of delays. According to easyJet, the two-hour delay, affecting more than one airline, was caused by adverse weather in Europe.
It’s something out of anyone’s control, but at least we can wait in the comfort of the airport I thought. Oh how wrong I was. After getting through bag-drop and security without a single hiccup, the departures lounge resembled utter chaos, with barely any room to walk.
Armed with a small pushchair, and aghast at how many people were crammed into a very small terminal building, I suddenly wondered if the two-hour delay would be much longer.
Trying to navigate through the crowds of people, it was immediately clear why the terminal building was so busy. The gates back onto the departure lounge, with no walking to other areas needed.
Instead, queues of people snaked through the seating areas, past toilets, and even around restaurants, as aircraft boarding was announced. What an utterly outdated concept this is, with a clear need for the gates to have their own seating areas – much like what is seen in UK airports.
One mere two hour delay for major airlines such as Jet2, TUI and easyJet appeared to be the catalyst of a nightmare for the airport, as workers quickly swapped signs as planes left, indicating another company would soon be occupying that gate.
With no room to even eat a sandwich, my family were left sat up against a shop’s shutters – with the pram acting as a barrier from us and anyone trying to pass.
Arrecife Airport, despite being too small for the amount of tourists coming through, is actually in the middle of an upgrade, which I feel is urgently needed.
Terminal 1, reserved for international access, is set to be extended. Terminal 2, which is only operational for inter-island flights, is set to be renovated – and the two connected at boarding.
Terminal 1’s extension will see larger areas dedicated to check-in, security and boarding.
The £140 million upgrade is pencilled in to start in 2027, however, meaning passengers will need to make-do for at least another three years.
