Coach companies warn of hour long waits for holidaymakers due to new AENA transport charges
Coach companies across the Canary Islands are challenging airport operator AENA after the introduction of a new fee for using airport car parks to pick up holidaymakers. Operators say the charge will cost each company nearly 80,000 euros a year and have announced a series of measures in response.
In simple terms, their strategy is to avoid using airport car parks altogether to escape the added cost. The Federation of Transport Businesses in the Canary Islands (FET) confirmed on Friday that transfer coaches will now only leave their garages once an entire group of travellers is ready and has collected their luggage. Until then, they will wait off-site.
Long Delays Likely for Tourists
This move is expected to cause long delays for holidaymakers. If a coach is several kilometres away when travellers are ready for pick-up, it could take a significant amount of time to reach the airport, depending on time of day and traffic.
“With the traffic as it is, I calculate that delays of at least an hour are almost guaranteed,” said José Ángel Hernández, secretary general of the FET, in a press conference
He admitted that the measure will seriously affect the quality of service, but insisted that “until another solution is found, there is little alternative.” He gave the example of a coach based in Playa del Inglés or Las Palmas having to travel to Gran Canaria Airport in Gando to collect guests, which would add considerable waiting time.
Impact on Hotel Transfers
The new AENA fee, which has been controversial since it was announced last December, will apply at airports in Lanzarote, Fuerteventura, and Tenerife South as well, locations already struggling with heavy traffic congestion.
The implications go beyond arrivals. Hernández warned that departures from hotels will need to be brought forward to avoid coach parking fees when dropping off passengers. “We’ll have to collect them much earlier to ensure we can complete the drop-off without incurring extra charges,” he said.
He also criticised the timing of the announcement. “AENA knows exactly how operations work in the Canary Islands. Instead of planning this for a future tourist season, allowing transport companies time to negotiate with tour operators, they announced it at Christmas for January, after agencies had already sold winter package holidays.”
“An Unnecessary Blow” to the Sector
“This is an unnecessary blow that nobody understands,” Hernández said. He pointed out that in Palma, Mallorca, AENA provides a dedicated waiting area for coaches to park free of charge until their passengers are ready. In the Canary Islands, he says, no such solution has been offered.
FET represents companies already working with tight margins, while also hiring large numbers of staff and expanding their fleets to meet rising demand. “Any additional hit like this could be a serious setback that many companies simply cannot absorb,” Hernández warned.
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