In this week’s Inside Spain, we take a look at how Spain’s airport operator has named British vacationers as one of many causes it’s investing billions in e-gates at many extra airports, and in a single metropolis even constructing a brand new satellite tv for pc terminal primarily for them.
This week, Spain’s state-owned airport operator Aena introduced it might make investments virtually €13 billion over 5 years to increase and modernise its airports.
Madrid Barajas and Barcelona El Prat shall be getting many of the cash, with €4 billion and €3 billion respectively.
Other widespread locations resembling Málaga and Alicante may even be getting above €1 billion every, whereas the largest ‘losers’ are thought-about to be Valencia and Seville, the place requires enhancements at their airports haven’t been met by Spain’s central authorities.
One of probably the most fascinating targets of this large funding is the main focus being positioned on the British travellers.
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Aena will strengthen controls or increase separation zones between passengers from inside and out of doors the EU/Schengen Zone at 9 airports to handle the brand new EES border management necessities, which in line with the most recent info is because of be launched in October.
For Aena, that is largely to cater for British passengers, who following Brexit are now not EU nationals and due to this fact can’t be waved by means of passport management upon arrival in Spain, typically resulting in longer ready occasions.
The enhancements shall be made at airports in Lanzarote, Gran Canaria, Menorca, Ibiza, Málaga, Alicante, A Coruña, Girona, and Santander.
It appears probably that a lot of this funding will go to the introduction of e-gates which can enable Brits and different non-EU nationals to scan their passports extra simply and shortly quite than ready in line to have their paperwork checked by police.
Spain is certainly one of solely a handful of EU nations already permitting restricted e-gate entry for UK residents, however solely at chosen airports and at sure occasions. Even then, they typically nonetheless require a passport stamp, regardless of their passport additionally being processed routinely.
Aena now seems to be set to introduce this self-service passport scanning expertise at many extra Spanish airports.
In the case of Alicante, an previous terminal shall be demolished to construct a brand new satellite tv for pc terminal for non-Schengen passengers.
According to Aena, “that is primarily as a result of new border management necessities, mixed with a predominantly British worldwide site visitors and the necessity to present these passengers with a greater high quality space with a wider vary of companies.”
There are additionally recommendations that airports resembling Málaga’s and Alicante’s may even quickly be geared up with the expertise that enables passengers to not need to take away liquids or laptops from their baggage, one other means of shortening ready occasions.
Spain acquired 18.3 million British nationals in 2024, a quantity which has been rising yr on yr regardless of the UK’s exit from the EU.
They are the truth is the largest group of overseas vacationers in Spain, excess of French (12.9 million) and German guests (11.9 million).
American vacationers signify the second largest non-EU nationality when it comes to customer quantity to Spain final yr, with 4.2 million, and so they too will have the ability to profit from Aena’s large funding.
These airport enhancements at airports throughout Spain are resulting from happen between 2027 and 2031.
