THE other day I received a call from a reader. It was to tell me that Palma airport was a nightmare - hundreds of passengers and just two National Police officers checking passports. They obviously couldn’t cope and long queues had soon formed.
Since Brexit, British passports have to be stamped on arrival as a result of the 90-day rule. Unfortunately, the Spanish government failed to take this into account and there are only limited resources at the airport, in this case two officers for scores of flights. How did this happen? Palma airport was not prepared for Brexit and as a direct result British tourists are paying the price. This reader also said that all the bars and restaurants were closed (in the early hours of the morning), which meant that there was no place to buy a bottle of water or something to eat.
All these problems are relatively easy to solve but what amazes me is that nothing has so far been done. There obviously need to be more police officers on duty. At least one bar should be open at night and in the early hours. Also, it might be an idea to have English-speaking staff on hand to inform tourists what is going on. Overall, Palma airport does a good job. It is clean, modern and up to the task. But it has failed over Brexit. Even though the whole process of Britain leaving the European Union started five years ago, British tourists continue to suffer because there was little planning.