The man is said to have collapsed in the approach to the passport control area less than half an hour after leaving the Jet2 plane he had reached the island on from the UK
The man had recently arrived on a Jet2 flight to the airport(Image: PA)
A British holidaymaker has died at an airport shortly after landing on a flight from the UK. The man reportedly collapsed near the passport control area less than half an hour after disembarking from the Jet2 plane he had travelled to Lanzarote on.
Despite the alarm being raised just before 3pm local time on Thursday, emergency responders were unable to save the unnamed Brit and he was pronounced dead at the scene.
Sources close to the situation have indicated that he died of natural causes, with local reports suggesting a heart attack. They dismissed any clear connection to the lengthy queues British holidaymakers often face when trying to pass through passport control on the island, although the incident has sparked fresh complaints about these queue issues.
As of this morning, it remains unclear how old the tourist was and whether he was travelling alone or accompanied by family or friends. Civil Guard sources confirmed his British nationality and stated that the incident is not being treated as suspicious.
The plane he was travelling on is believed to have landed at 2.26pm on Thursday, with the alert about the health emergency being raised 22 minutes later at 2.48pm. He was in a shaded area in terminal one of the airport – officially named Cesar Manrique-Lanzarote Airport – which passengers are directed into just before they reach the passport control booths manned by police.
Local press describe this area as having “no access to toilets, no seats and have to endure temperatures which at times are close to being unbearable.”
No seats and have to endure temperatures which at times are close to being unbearable. “One island-based online media outlet said overnight, describing the horror being felt by Lanzarote tourist industry chiefs following the British tourist’s death: “The worry in the sector is that a luxury destination has a third-world entrance.
“Beyond Thursday’s tragic event, the tourism sector of Lanzarote is observing with growing concern what happens every day at passport controls.”
Sources from the sector agree on an alarming diagnosis: the queues are not only long, they are becoming a cause for despair. “
Thursdays are the day of the week with the most air traffic congestion in Lanzarote when a large number of flights arrive from the UK.
Late last year disgruntled Brits heading on holiday reported two hour delays at arrivals when they reached the island, where the new automated Entry/Exist IT system began to be introduced gradually last November for non-EU citizens.
Police unions said at the time they believed technical problems would worsen existing queue problems at the airport they blamed on the lack of officers employed to carry out passport checks.
A spokesman for the SUP National Police union warned travellers at the time they should get to the airport four hours before departing, especially on international flights, as he insisted tourists exiting Lanzarote as well as those arriving would face problems.
More than 700,000 passengers used Lanzarote Airport in the first month of this year.
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