Overview
- Jet2 issued the alert on Wednesday telling UK holidaymakers travelling to or already in Gran Canaria to expect sudden road closures and enhanced security measures at Canaria Airport.
- The airline reminded passengers that check-in closes 40 minutes before departure and said all flights are expected to operate as scheduled while any delays will be notified by SMS, email, the Jet2 app and the company website.
- Pope Leo XIV is due to visit Gran Canaria this week with a planned stop at the port of Arguineguin, a trip reported as the first papal visit to the Canary Islands.
- Travellers are advised to allow extra time for journeys to the airport because temporary transport restrictions and stepped-up security for the visit could lengthen transfers and access to departure gates.
- The visit comes as local Catholic leaders highlight a sustained rise in irregular migration over the past decade, a context that officials say helps explain the unusually large security operation and transport controls.