Alex Trelinski
A British man has been arrested at Alicante-Elche airport after attacking three Policia Nacional officers at passport control.
The tourist flew in last weekend and was drunk when queuing up to have his passport checked and stamped.
When it was his turn, he realised he did not have the document on him.
He then behaved extremely aggressively when asked to show his passport and injured three police officers.
His arrival in Spain saw him arrested and carted off to a police station.
No further information has been supplied about the man.
A police source told the ABC newspaper that it was the second incident of its kind in just a few days involving British arrivals at the airport.
He said officers have been ‘overwhelmed’ by all of the extra passport checks they have to do on UK visitors, following Brexit.
British visitors account for roughly 45% of all arriving foreign travellers at Alicante-Elche airport.
Some problems and delays surfaced last summer, but the issue had not been as serious due to lower visitor numbers caused by Covid-19 restrictions.
With UK arrivals set to return this summer to levels last seen in the pre-pandemic year of 2019, police unions have called for more staff to be used reduce workloads and queue waiting times.
READ MORE:
- Police union demands extra officers for Spain’s Costa Blanca airport to reduce UK traveller queues at passport control
- ‘BREXIT ZONE’: Airport boss denies claims it is preparing separate area for Brits in southern Spain hotspot
