Irish holidaymakers heading to Spain this summer may be facing more than one problem as Spanish airports struggle to keep up with the influx of passengers since international travel reopened.
People arriving into airports near Palma, Costa del Sol, Barcelona, and Ibiza have reported having extreme difficulty finding a taxi to transport them to their accommodation.
The president of one of the taxi-driver associations, Biel Moragues, told Majorca Daily Bulletin: "In the short term, it is impossible to find a solution. It's madness.
READ MORE: Chaos for Irish tourists travelling to Portugal as Ryanair cabin crew plan three-day strike in June
"There aren't enough buses either. But everywhere is the same - Barcelona airport, Costa del Sol."
He said the problem stems from not having enough drivers to meet demand.
In Ibiza, the problem is said to be twice as bad.
Moragues estimated that there is a shortage of 500 taxi drivers in Mallorca.
The Spanish government has also faced questions over lengthy queuing times at its airports.
To combat this, it has promised more police officers will be assigned to the airports to reinforce controls.
However, the ACAVE association of specialised travel agencies in Spain has said the promise of more officers would be insufficient as they say this will not be enough to prevent congestion at certain airports.
The association has sent a letter to the ministry, calling for a "more ambitious expansion of the workforce to reduce waiting times at controls," which they claim have lasted up to three hours in some airports.
Although the forecast for Spain as a whole is for fewer tourists than in 2019, the association insists that more police are needed.
Much attention has been paid to queues at Madrid-Barajas for non-EU travellers, and ACAVE highlights the situation with UK travellers and the need to stamp passports.
Jordi Martí, the association's president, said that "urgent measures must be taken" to properly handle the arrival of tourists, especially from the UK. "We cannot wait, as the high season has already started."
Palma, Barcelona, Seville, Malaga, Tenerife and Madrid have been identified as airports needing police reinforcement.
It has been reported that fifty additional National Police officers will be available in Palma from June 20, but it has also been suggested that these fifty officers will be for the three airports in the Balearics and not solely for Palma.
The news comes after Ryanair's Spanish cabin crew announced a six-day strike would take place on June 24, 35, 26 and 30, and on July 1 and 2.
Workers cited discontent with working conditions and pay as the reason for the strike, which could lead to the cancellation of Irish passenger's flights.
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