Disability Assistance at Tenerife South Airport
Tenerife South Airport provides a disbaility assistance service called “Sin Barreras” to passengers who find it difficult to navigate the airport due to a disability or illness.
Is Tenerife South Airport Accessible for People with Disabilities?
Tenerife South Airport (TFS) is well-equipped for people with disabilities and fully wheelchair accessible. There are ramps and/or lift access throughout the airport. If you require assistance to get around or to navigate your way through the airport, you can make use of the special assistance service Sin Barreras (please see below). There are plenty of disabled toilet facilities in all the different parts of the airport. There are also several stoma friendly toilets on level 1 of the terminal building.
About “Sin Barreras”
Who can make use of the Sin Barreras Service?
The Sin Barreras (without barriers) service is for passengers with limited mobility or any other disability that makes it difficult to navigate the airport and to get on or off a plane unaided. The service can be accessed for children and adults of all ages. Please note that minors need to be accompanied by a parent or guardian.
How can the service be accessed?
The service must be booked at least 48 hours in advance. The best way of doing this is by informing your airline of your disability and the type of assistance you need when you make your booking. The airline will pass on any relevant information to the Sin Barreras Team at Tenerife South Airport.
Additionally, you can contact the Sin Barreras Team by telephone from 7am to midnight daily on (+34) 91 321 10 00 or you can send an email to sinbarreras@aena.es.
What information is needed when booking the disability assistance service?
It is essential to give clear information of all your needs to ensure that things run smoothly during your journey. For example, you will need to indicate if and how far you are able to walk, if you can transfer independently and if there are any other things the assistance staff need to be aware of. This ensures that everything can be prepared for your needs, including any equipment, where necessary.
How is the assistance provided?
Tenerife South Airport has a specialist team and all the equipment that is needed to help disabled passengers on their way through the airport and when embarking and disembarking the aircraft.
When departing on a flight from Tenerife South
When you get to the airport, go to one of the Sin Barreras meeting points or to your check-in desk. From there, you will be collected by a Sin Barreras staff member. A wheelchair can be provided, if needed. You will then be accompanied on your journey through the airport, including security screening, all the way to your departure gate. The Sin Barreras staff will help you to board the plane until you are comfortably settled in your seat.
How do the staff know when I have arrived at the airport?
If you have gone straight to your check-in desk, inform the airline staff that you have booked an assistance service and wait to be picked up. Alternatively, you can report your arrival at the Sin Barreras counter or via the intercom on one of the Sin Barreras meeting points.
How long before my flight do I need to be at the airport?
You will usually be given a time when you book the service. If you have not been given a specified time, it is recommended that you arrive at the airport two and a half hours before your flight departure time.
Where are the Sin Barreras meeting points at Tenerife South Airport?
- Departures hall level 1
- Passenger terminal level 1
- Terminal check-in hall
- Terminal public arrivals hall
When arriving on a flight at Tenerife South Airport
Once you have landed and once the other passengers have disembarked, you will be collected from the plane. The Sin Barreras staff will assist you to get off the plane and help you through passport control, baggage reclaim and customs, from where you will be accompanied to one of the meeting points.
When catching a connecting flight from Tenerife South
The Sin Barreras staff will collect you from the plane and assist you to disembark. They will help you with the transit through the terminal and assist you when you board the aircraft for your connecting flight.
Hidden Disabilities
In April 2023, the airport operator AENA launched a new initiative for people with hidden disabilities. These can include a range of conditions like ASD, anxiety disorders, learning disabilities and many more.
Passengers with this type of disability may be physically fit to navigate the airport without the need for the Sin Barreras service. However, they might find the busy environment difficult to cope with and need a bit of extra time and an understanding attitude from airport staff when proceeding through the airport.
For this purpose, the airport operator has devised an “invisible disabilities badge“, with an icon as shown below. Passengers with a hidden disability or their travel companions can apply for this prior to their planned journey. The badge lets the airport staff know that the passenger may need some additional support or time, without the need for further explanations.
The badge can be requested via the AENA website. You can access the page by clicking on the badge icon below.
The badge is single-use: it is only valid on the date of your flight and at the specific airport, you are flying to or from.
Please also remember that the badge does not entitle you to use the Sin Barreras service. If this service is needed, it has to be requested separately (please see above).
Onboard the Aircraft and during the Flight
For more information about what happens on the plane and during your flight, please see our page Flying with Reduced Mobility.
Passengers with Reduced Mobility (PRM) Codes
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) agreed categories and codes for passengers with reduced mobility.
| PRM | Passenger with reduced mobility |
| WCHC | Passengers are not self-sufficient and are entirely immobile They require help to their seats and complete personal assistance When the flight time is longer than three hours they need a travel companion They need help in the terminal between arrival and departure points |
| WCHS | Passengers who are self-sufficient once on the aeroplane They need help from the terminal to the aircraft and boarding They need help in the terminal between arrival and departure points |
| WCHR | Passengers who can board walk up steps and move freely by themselves on the aeroplane They need help getting from the terminal to the aeroplane They need help in the terminal between arrival and departure points |
| BLND | Visual disabilities |
| DEAF | Deaf passengers |
| DEAF/BLIND | Blind and deaf person who can only move about with the aid of an accompanying person |
| DPNA | Disabled Passenger with Intellectual or Developmental Disability Needing Assistance |
| WCMP | Passenger is travelling with a manual wheelchair. |
| WCBD | Passenger is travelling with a dry cell battery-powered wheelchair. |
| WCBW | Passenger is travelling with a wet cell battery-powered wheelchair. |
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