British tourists heading to the Canary Islands are being advised to arrive at the airport three hours before departure due to significant border control disruptions caused by the EU's Entry/Exit System (EES). The new biometric technology has led to extensive queues, sometimes up to three hours, at popular airports such as Gran Canaria and Tenerife South.
Under the EES, non-EU visitors, including British passport holders, must undergo facial recognition scans and fingerprint collection at border control. System malfunctions and the time required to process each passenger have clogged passport control channels, particularly when multiple non-Schengen flights depart simultaneously.
Spanish airport authority Aena requires a three-hour pre-departure window for all non-Schengen flights, including those returning to the UK. Carriers such as Wizz Air have reinforced this guidance. However, passengers should note that many baggage drop and check-in counters at Canary Island airports do not open until two hours before departure.
Travel expert David Gainford, known as MrTravelON on TikTok, shared his perspective in a recent video. He advised that passengers with luggage may not be able to check in three hours early, but airlines are considering opening desks earlier. He also noted that package holiday customers with TUI or Jet2 can trust operators to ensure timely airport transfers, while independent travellers should arrive three hours early.
Gainford warned that queue times vary depending on flight schedules, with some passengers reporting waits of two to two-and-a-half hours. Viewer comments on his video highlighted mixed experiences: one traveller faced a one-hour wait for a gate to open at Lanzarote airport, while another reported a smooth 10-minute process. A further commenter described a 'nightmare' at certain times.
