Gran Canaria Airport Arrivals

On landing at Gran Canaria Airport, your aircraft will either be connected to the terminal building via a sky bridge or parked on the airport apron. In the first case you will leave from the forward exit, and in the latter, you will disembark from the rear or front exits and be directed to walk to the terminal. If you are far away from the terminal, a bus will ferry you to the arrivals area.

If you are a person with reduced mobility or special needs, you can usually ask for assistance through your tour operator or airline. It is also possible to contact the airport directly and request assistance, but do this at least forty-eight hours in advance. You can find out more about this process here.

Passport Control & Immigration

Passengers who are on flights from the Spanish territories and citizens travelling from Schengen area countries are not required to go through passport control. Those from all other destinations must go to immigration and show a passport that is valid for at least the duration of your stay in the Canary Islands.

Baggage Reclaim Area

Once you have cleared immigration you can proceed to the baggage reclaim area. If you only have cabin luggage, you can continue through customs to the exit, but if you also have hold bags, they will shortly appear on one of the twenty-two baggage carousels. There are large overhead monitors that display flight numbers, the origin and the number of the carousel. Above each carousel is a smaller display with the flight numbers using that belt as well as the handling company.

If your luggage has damage, or if it has not appeared, report it as soon as possible to the handling company and to someone from the airline you flew on. Most of the handling agent's offices are in the baggage reclaim hall, although some can be found in the arrivals hall. You can find more details of their location here. You will need to fill out a Lost/Damaged Property Form with your contact details and where you are staying. Where your luggage is damaged try to take as many photos as possible that show the extent of the damage as you might later be required to provide evidence.

Customs

When you are certain that all your bags are present and correct you will go through customs, at which point you should declare any restricted goods that you might be carrying. Certain foods, large sums of cash and expensive electronics are examples of items that may need to be declared but, if in doubt, ask a customs officer. Details of duty-free allowances and restricted items can be found on the European Commission website at ec.europa.eu.

The Arrivals Hall

After clearing customs, you walk through the automatic doors to the arrivals hall. You cannot go back after, so if you have forgotten anything you will have to ask an official for assistance.

If you have arranged for someone to meet you, he/she should be in the arrivals hall. Private transfer drivers will be waving signs with passengers' names, and the tour operator representatives will be trying to gather their clients. Also found in the arrivals hall are the eight car rental offices.

There is a café serving food and drink if you have to wait for transport. Other facilities include free Wi-Fi and internet access points, bank ATMs, tourist information and a Lost & Found office.

Immediately outside the terminal building is the taxi rank and bus stops. The car parks and coach park are only a short walk away too.