Since the UK made the decision to leave the EU, Brexit, the United Kingdom became a third country, which meant that the freedom of movement awarded to European citizens was no longer the case for those from the UK. As a result, UK travellers have to have their passports stamped both on entry to and exit from a European Country.
This phenomenon has taken many passengers by surprise, as many people were not fully aware of the implications of the removal of free movement it would seem, but it has also resulted in long queues at passport controls at ports and airports.
On a single day this week, at Alicante-Elche airport, some 50 flights were scheduled, in intervals of around 30 minutes, bringing almost 9,000 passengers to the Costa Blanca.
On average, at Spanish airports, the British make up 10% of the total number of passengers, but in Alicante, the figure is more like 45%, which in tern has led to long queues at passport control, with delays getting through of around an hour at times.
The Brexit problem is said to be exaggerated by a lack of police officers, according to the unions representing them, who say that of the 47 temporary places that were offered for the Alicante-Elche airport during the three summer months, only 16 have been filled, resulting in the unions warning that things will get worse over the summer.
According to the Ministry of the Interior, they are already in the midst of an extraordinary reinforcement of 500 agents across the country, although 328 are already assigned to Madrid, Barcelona and Palma de Mallorca.
The Interior Minister, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, has made it quite clear. The delays are not caused by a lack of police, it is quite simply a result of Brexit.
It should also be noted that there are limited numbers of passport control booths at airports, especially as the majority of passengers still move freely, and so bottlenecks are inevitable irrespective of whether or not there are enough officers available.
The principal hotelier’s association on the Costa Blanca, Hosbec, has raised concerns with the ministry and also warned that they fear things will get worse for summer.
However, whatever the complaint, and whatever may be being done to alleviate the problems, one thing will not change, and that is the fact that British tourists have to pass passport control because they are no longer EU citizens and although there is a certain permissiveness and the controls are very basic, the queues, with their inevitable inconvenience, are going to increase.
