Tourism bosses have called on the Spanish Government to urgently act as massive queues and delays at a number of airports are impacting holidays.
And some Irish tourists have been caught up in the “chaos” at tourist hotspots.
Spain’s Airlines Association (ALA) has urged the Ministry of the Interior to hire more border staff at Spanish airports.
The tourism leaders fear the chaotic scenes will put holidaymakers off visiting Spain.
The ALA said the re-opening up of Spain to key tourist markets, including the UK and Ireland, had unleashed airport “chaos”.
It said thousands of passengers had missed their flights due to a massive queue at Madrid airport.
Other airports affected include Alicante, Malaga, Barcelona, Palma de Mallorca, Ibiza and Gran Canaria.
ALA President Javier Gándara said: “The reopening of Spain to international tourism, added to other factors such as the new migratory measures with the United Kingdom after Brexit, are the causes of a significant saturation of controls in our country, requiring a longer registration time at the border.”
It is thought that the new legislation has led to an increase in queues at Spanish border controls.
Gándara said: “The congestion at airports is a great detriment to passengers, both national and international, in the form of delays or loss of flights or connections in the country and an added difficulty to the operation of airlines, already complex due to the pandemic, projecting a terrible international image of Spain.
“Spain cannot now allow itself a congestion of its airports. At a key moment for the tourism sector such as Christmas and with the sights set on summer, it is imperative to improve passport controls, since the current situation is a grievance for passengers, for airline operations and for the image of Spain abroad."
