Hotel occupancy, holiday reservations, hotel consumption and flights have all seen a boost in recent weeks, thanks partly to a successful Easter period, and the relaxation of some of the Covid rules, with figures showing a huge increase on last year and only slightly below pre-pandemic levels, but now airlines are concerned that long queues at airports might slow down recovery.
“Before the pandemic, it was normal for the planes to be with an occupancy of 85%. However, we are now looking at levels of around 75%”, explains Javier Gándara, president of the Airline Association (ALA).
Despite that, there are concerns that the lack of staff in security and passport control is already causing difficulties in many airports.
“The problems are already occurring and not only in Madrid. In Malaga, the Canary Islands, Alicante and the Balearic Islands people are having to queue for up to an hour, and even more. The number of National Police officers that there are clearly insufficient to meet the demand with reasonable waiting times,” says Gándara, who warns that if they are not reinforced it could be a very difficult summer.
