Over the past month, the National Police has apprehended six individuals at Tenerife South Airport for document forgery offences. The most recent arrest occurred a few days ago when an Albanian national attempted to board a flight to the United Kingdom using a counterfeit Italian passport.
Traffic at Tenerife South Airport has surged significantly in recent years, establishing it as the third most prominent airport in Spain, following Adolfo Suárez – Madrid Barajas and El Prat in Barcelona, as reported by the Police.
With over a hundred connections and 52 airlines in operation, the routes to the United Kingdom and Ireland are particularly noteworthy, featuring locations such as Manchester, London, Birmingham, Bristol, Belfast, and Shannon. This year, international flights have experienced a more than 20% increase.
The United Kingdom’s departure from the European Union has notably intensified the workload of the National Police at this border point. During peak months, especially in summer, there have been over 100 daily arrivals and departures, with more than 20,000 foreign nationals passing through border controls each day, according to the Police.
In spite of the high passenger volume, “the professionalism and training of the National Police has enabled them to manage the flow effectively, even extending their operational hours due to flight delays or incidents involving passengers.” In this context, it is noted that over the past month, six individuals of various nationalities—primarily Albanian, alongside Iranian and Nigerian—have been detained for presenting false documentation.
The detainees were handed over to the relevant judicial authority, and expulsion proceedings were initiated accordingly. Furthermore, surveillance and control measures concerning such crimes related to illicit trafficking have been intensified at the international borders of the Schengen area to enhance security along Spain’s external borders.