The Councillor for Internal Affairs of Granadilla de Abona, David Santos, dismissed Ashotel’s suggestion to declare Tenerife South airport as a sensitive zone, asserting that the extended waiting times for passengers “are the result of traffic issues on the TF-1 motorway.”
Santos clarified that journeys, which typically take 30 minutes, “can extend to an hour and a half,” impacting the availability of taxis in the airport vicinity. Furthermore, he labelled the proposal as “detrimental” to local taxi drivers, as it would permit drivers from across the Island to operate at the airport, which, as he stated, “would take jobs from our drivers.” Santos advocated that during peak demand periods, coordination with taxis from other municipalities is facilitated to meet service needs.
The councillor referred to incidents from last Tuesday, November 12, when the airport catered to 32,000 passengers. On that day, 192 additional taxis from Arona, Adeje, and even Santa Cruz were deployed, bringing the total to 370 licences. He also noted that on Sunday, November 10, the airport handled 37,000 passengers, which is 5,000 more than Tuesday, yet without significant queues. According to the councillor, this can be attributed to “the absence of traffic jams on that same day on the motorway.”
This airport experiences challenges with lengthy queues of passengers awaiting taxis, particularly during peak flight arrival periods.
This situation has sparked a dispute between the tourism sector and local authorities.
Jorge Marichal, president of the Ashotel tourism association, characterises the situation as “regrettable” and states that it impacts both tourists and local residents. Marichal claims, “it is ridiculous to leave passengers in the departure terminal only to return empty with hundreds of people waiting, all due to the lack of a Granadilla licence.”
The CEOE (Spanish Confederation of Business Organisations) has also voiced criticisms, indicating that the management by the Government of the Canary Islands demonstrates an “inefficient organisation that adversely affects mobility and public service.”