Today we are talking about Tenerife South, the TFS airport was inaugurated on 23 October 1978, with the landing of an Iberia DC-9. It was created as an alternative for landing on the island, in view of the bad weather conditions at Tenerife North (TFN).

Tenerife is one of the Canary Islands’ airports, already in its high season. Why is that? From October to March a large number of German and English tourists arrive on the island, looking for a privileged climate with average temperatures of 22º all year round.

In the ranking of Spanish airports, TFS ranks 7th in terms of passenger numbers (2020 figures). It is currently the alternative airport for TFN and also for the island of Funchal, in the Azores. In addition, due to its geographical position, it is a strategic airport for emergency flights crossing the Atlantic.

At Iberia Airport Services we have a staff of 286 people (a figure that varies depending on the needs and season), to attend to the more than 30 client companies that have chosen us to provide them with any type of service, such as Air Lingus, Aeroflot, Iberia Express, Condor, TUI group, Vueling, Jettime…

Sonia Henríquez is the airport manager of TFS. Since joining Iberia Airport Services in 1994, she has held various positions at the airports of LPA (Gran Canaria) and TFN (Tenerife North), always related to the areas of ramp production and passengers.  She is therefore a great connoisseur of the management involved in doubling the workforce in high season and an expert in meeting the needs and requirements of our customers.

“We have a multi-functional staff, they are proficient in the different operating systems used by the different companies (Resiber, Gonow, Altea…). The ramp, coordination and passage teams share the same facilities, which makes management easier for us. In addition, we also share motivation and commitment to offer the best service”.

Ernesto Díaz, supervisor and flight coordination trainer at TFS, assures that “safety comes first, so it is essential to have all the necessary information about the flight you are going to attend. We have a new operational management tool, Kepler, which provides us with this information in real time. In addition, with the same device we communicate between areas, we receive and update all the necessary data, we make “checklists” on the spot… Digitalisation has undoubtedly allowed us to improve the whole process.

On a trip to Tenerife

Ernesto is, as a good Tenerife native, in love with his island and, above all, with one of its wonders, Mount Teide. “I recommend visiting the Teide National Park at different times of the day; if you go at night you can admire a spectacular starry sky, and if you go at dawn, you can see the rest of the Canary Islands. Choose the time and enjoy the many “guachinches” that are all over the island.

Tenerife! awakens emotions.