Alicante Airport’s temporary police boost keeps British queues moving: But watch September

British holidaymakers and expats arriving at Alicante-Elche Miguel Hernandez Airport this summer are finding passport control far less painful than the chaotic early months of the EU Entry/Exit System back in April. Extra officers and helpers have turned long queues into a smoother process, yet the extra hands are only temporary and due to police leave in September while passenger numbers stay sky-high.

July smashed all previous records with 2.3 million travellers through the terminal, an 11 per cent jump on last year. British passengers are still the driving force behind those numbers, just as they have done for years on the Costa Blanca. Full-year figures already point to another record-breaking season, according to earlier reporting on the airport’s busiest year trajectory.

Early teething troubles with the Entry/Exit System left many UK passengers either grumbling or out of pocket altogether. Machine failures, software glitches, thin staffing and little advance information produced double checks, delays and angry passengers. Reports from El Español described queues stretching for hours and people missing connections. One officer still based at the airport summed up the night shifts at that time: “By night the colleagues were tearing their hair out. In many cases the police station had to close because there simply were not enough people to staff it. We had serious problems.”

Extra officers arrive from Operation Paso del Estrecho

Around 30 police officers have now been drafted in from the Operation Paso del Estrecho deployment, traditionally used to check people coming over from Morocco and Algeria on ferries, and will stay until September. Half are newly graduated trainees from the Avila academy; the rest come from other postings. Their presence covers holiday absences among regular staff and gives far more flexibility across shifts.

Night-time is said to have improved most dramatically. Airlines schedule more and more flights between 10pm and 1.30am, a period that used to run with only three or four officers. With the temporary boost those late arrivals move through without the old bottlenecks.

Aena, the airport’s operator, has also expanded its team of auxiliaries. These staff guide passengers through the biometric EES machines, showing them how to place the passport, position themselves for the camera and complete the process quickly. Airlines have started warning customers at the booking stage, so many passengers now arrive better prepared.

September question mark hangs in the air

All eyes are already on September. Trainees will be reassigned to continue their training, officers seconded from other duties will return home, and the regular complement will be left to cope with still-heavy traffic. Passenger volumes show no sign of dropping sharply after the peak summer weeks, so the risk of queues lengthening again is real.

Airport operator Aena continues to publish operational updates on its official site at aena.es, while the Alicante-Elche airport pages provide practical advice for arriving passengers. Passengers can also check the latest Entry/Exit System guidance on the European Commission’s border management pages for clear instructions on biometric registration.

For now the combination of extra police, more auxiliaries and better-informed passengers has delivered one of the more efficient border filters in Spain despite record British numbers. Once the temporary officers depart, the real test of staffing levels and machine reliability will begin. British passengers planning late-summer or autumn trips would be wise to allow a little extra time at passport control and follow any airline or airport advice issued in the coming weeks. Be prepared to be hanging around at Alicante airport once September arrives.