A fed-up British traveller has cancelled his next trip to Spain after waiting more than two hours to get through passport control.
Mark Vincent was one of hundreds of passengers to get up caught up in the chaotic queues seen at Alicante Airport over the weekend.
The travel hub was particularly busy due to Benidorm hosting its hugely popular fancy dress parade, which draws in tens of thousands of tourists.
It comes as Spanish ports and airports are phasing in the EU’s new Entry/Exit System (EES).
It means anyone from a non-Schengen or ‘third country’ – including the UK – must use biometric scanners, which keep track of the number of days they have spent in the EU (ensuring they don’t exceed their 90 in 180 day limit).
As the system has just begun, Brits are using the machines for the first time, and are having to register their fingerprints and face scans, leading to delays when they are up and running at peak times.
However, many passengers claim that a lack of staff during the busiest hours is adding to the episodes of chaos.
Mark told the Spanish Eye: ‘I have cancelled two trips to Spain in January.
‘If the idea of Brexit was to reduce the freedom of travel to the UK, it’s worked.
‘I had two hours of queuing at passport control after taking just 15 minutes to get through security. No control, no staff, it was chaos!’
The problems at Alicante Airport have been on and off for the past couple of weeks.
Spanish Eye reader Gareth Green shared a photo of a huge snaking queue at the terminal.
He said: ‘This was two weeks ago waiting outside passport control… 90 minutes to get to the police manned immigration, it was a farce.
‘We scanned the passports and had our prints taken, then still had to queue.’
Chaotic scenes have also been reported at Malaga airport over the past few weeks, but only at certain times and on certain days.
The Policia Nacional, which manages passport control, told the Spanish Eye: ‘The EES system is being implemented gradually, and once fully operational, travelers will spend less time at the border thanks to faster checks and the ability to provide information in advance.
‘This digital system, which went into effect on October 12, 2025, is being rolled out gradually at all external borders, including ports and airports, of the aforementioned countries.
‘Data collection from travelers will be phased in gradually and is expected to be fully implemented no later than April 10, 2026.’
It added: ‘Until the EES is fully implemented, some queues are expected at certain ports and airports with high passenger volume.
‘Non-EU citizens and those covered by agreements will have to pass through these queues. British citizens are not exempt, so we advise them to arrive at the airport well in advance, pay close attention to and cooperate with the system’s instructions, and have all necessary documentation ready and in order.
‘British citizens holding a Foreigner Identity Card (TIE) are also not exempt, as this card does not grant them EU citizenship.’
Good.