By Joanne Jeffries. Last Updated 20th September 2021. Welcome to this guide on Tenerife airport accident claims.
Tenerife is one of the most popular holiday destinations for British tourists. If you missed out on a holiday there, or your trip was ruined because of an accident at Tenerife North Airport, you could be entitled to compensation.
Tenerife airport accident claims guide
This guide provides information on how to file an accident at Tenerife North Airport claim and details the different types of accidents that could occur and which you may be entitled to claim compensation. It also covers the basics of how personal injury claims in Spain work.
Our advisers can help you through the process of making a personal injury claim by providing free advice and you may be able to work with one of our No Win No Fee solicitors who would act on your behalf. To find out more, or to discuss any issues that aren’t covered in the following guide, please feel free to call our team on 0800 073 8801.
Select A Section
- A Guide To Accident Claims For Injuries Sustained At Tenerife North Airport
- What Are Accidents At Tenerife North Airport?
- Spain Airport And Flight Safety
- Possible Hazards Around The Airport
- Causes Of Slips And Falls In An Airport
- Tenerife North Airport Shop And Restaurant Accidents
- Airport Luggage Related Accidents
- Accidents When Using Airport Facilities
- Tenerife North Airport Shuttle Accidents
- How Will An Airport Accident Claim In Spain Work?
- Do I Have To Claim Through A Spanish Solicitor?
- Tenerife North Airport Accident Claims Calculator – Updated September 2021
- Tenerife North Airport Special Damages Claims
- Why Claim With Our Holiday Accidents Claims Team?
- No Win No Fee Tenerife North Airport Accident Claims
- Start Your Tenerife North Airport Accident Claim
- Related Guides To Accidents In Spain
A Guide To Accident Claims For Injuries Sustained At Tenerife North Airport
Tenerife-Norte (Tenerife North) airport, together with Tenerife South, serves the Island of Tenerife which is a part of the Canary Islands. These islands are located in the Atlantic ocean off the coast of Morocco. Despite their proximity to north-west Africa, the Canary Islands are a part of Spain and therefore fall under Spanish law. This includes the way in which personal injury claims are handled.
The guide covers key points regarding personal injury claims and includes the different types of accidents that may entitle you to file a personal injury claim, the level of compensation you could receive, the difference between Spanish and English personal injury claims law, and how making a No Win No Fee claim could help you recover not only your financial losses but compensate you for the pain, distress, suffering and loss of amenity you had to endure because you were injured in an accident at Tenerife North Airport.
What Are Accidents At Tenerife North Airport?
The type of accidents covered involve incidents that happen on the ground whether in a terminal building, on the apron, or while using any services which are operated by the airport. This includes the following:
- Slips, trips and falls
- Food poisoning
- Shuttle bus crashes
- Accidents involving luggage
Some of the hazards discussed are unique to airports, others are commonplace safety issues that all businesses and public premises are duty-bound to manage. The guide does not cover how to claim for an accident that took place aboard a plane during your journey, for more information on how to file this type of claim, please click here to read our in-flight injury guide.
Spain Airport And Flight Safety
The most serious Tenerife North airport plane crash was the Tenerife air disaster which occurred in 1977 when two passenger jets collided on the runway, claiming the lives of 583 people. It was the deadliest air disaster in history. Another air disaster occurred in 1980 when a flight from Manchester airport crashed en-route to Tenerife North airport. However, since these incidents no fatal air crashes have occurred at or near Tenerife North airport.
Tenerife is a major tourist destination and in 2018 Tenerife north airport handled nearly five and a half million passengers on 73,236 flights. With these high numbers, the fact that only a handful of incidents have ever taken place highlights how safe air travel is, more especially over recent years. For more details of the history of Tenerife North airport plane crashes and other incidents, please take a look at these statistics.
Possible Hazards Around The Airport
Plane crashes are rare thanks to advanced technology and strict safety regulations that are in place. The real risk of injury to passengers comes from accidents in and around the airport when they are on the ground. Out on the apron there is the possible hazard of passengers being hit by one of the numerous vehicles used to help prepare the plane for take-off. Some of these vehicles carry specific loads which must be handled with care because exposure to them could cause harm which includes tanker trucks carrying aviation fuel.
It can also be dangerous for passengers when they are on the tarmac outside of an aircraft waiting to board the plane. This is when both engines could produce enough noise to cause hearing damage to those standing around who are not wearing ear protection.
Inside the airport there are risks which includes slips, trips and falls, the risk of being injured or made sick by eating at one of the restaurants in the terminal, and the risk of being hurt due to an accident with luggage or the equipment used to move it around a terminal.
Causes Of Slips And Falls In An Airport
A slip, trip and fall at any airport which includes Tenerife North, could leave you with a minor injury but it could also result in serious damage. Any business that opens its doors to customers must ensure that areas are kept safe at all times. Nothing that could cause you to slip, trip and fall should be present to reduce the risk of harm or injury occurring while spending time in an airport.
If you slip, trip and fall on board the aircraft whether its on the ground, during the flight, or while boarding or disembarking, the airline operator could be deemed liable because under the Montreal convention an airline is responsible for the safety of passengers. As such, if they could be held liable for the injuries you sustained because you can prove their failed in their duty of care, you could be entitled to compensation. An example of airline negligence includes the following:
- The cabin flooring was substandard, torn, uneven, or items were left in an isle by cabin crew and as a result it caused you to slip, trip and fall, the airline operator could be deemed liable for the injuries you suffered
Other slip, trip and fall claims that involve accidents in airports for which an operator may be held liable include the following:
- While using a shuttle bus service provided by the operator
- A fall on a shuttle bus due to bad driving or because the vehicle was not maintained in good working order
Airport operators are responsible for outdoor hazards which includes on pavements, in car parks and on the tarmac If you are injured in a trip, slip and fall in any of these areas, you could be entitled to file a personal injury claim against the operator providing you can prove negligence on their part.
Call us if you’ve had a slip, trip and fall at Tenerife North Airport to find out if we can help you make a claim. For more information, please read this slip trip and fall guide.
Tenerife North Airport Shop And Restaurant Accidents
There are many shops and restaurants in terminal buildings that passengers and others can use while waiting for flights. If you suffer an injury in a shop, restaurant or other airport outlet, or you fall ill after eating something, you may be entitled to seek compensation either against the owner of the establishment or the airport operator.
An example being as follows:
- Falling ill after eating a meal in a restaurant because the food contained allergens which you were not made aware of
- Falling ill due to cross contamination in a kitchen area or because or poor food preparation/hygiene
You may also be able to claim compensation if you suffered a burn or scald in a restaurant.
You could also suffer burns or scalds at a restaurant if they serve food and beverages which are too hot to safely handle. Should this be the case, you could be entitled to file a personal injury claim against the negligent third party.
For more information regarding compensation claims should you have developed an illness or been injured in airport restaurant, read this allergic reaction guide and call our team.
Airport Luggage Related Accident
A large and heavy suitcase could cause someone an injury which could include the following:
- A manual handling injury
- Falling on a foot
You may also suffer an injury in an airport caused by the equipment used to move luggage around. This could include the following:
- While using trolleys and carousels
Whether it is staff or passengers who use trolleys and are injured due to carelessness, or because a trolley is defective, or due to a trolley being overloaded and the person pushing it causes injury to someone else. Should you have been injured at Tenerife North Airport and the incident was caused by a third party, you may be entitled to compensation.
Baggage carousels can also potentially cause an accident at Tenerife North Airport if they are faulty, or if staff do not supervise their use correctly, or if luggage isn’t loaded properly. Injuries could be caused by following:
- Luggage falling off a carousel
- People getting hair or clothes pulled into the moving parts
- People – more especially small children – being carried along the carousel into the rollers located at the end
If you were injured in a baggage carousel accident at Tenerife North Airport, and it wasn’t your fault, you could be entitled to file a personal injury claim against the negligent third party.
Accidents When Using Airport Facilities
When you are in an airport terminal, the operator has a duty of care towards you. This is to ensure that none of the facilities are unsafe to use. This would include that the following is kept in good working order and are well maintained:
- Stairwells are well-lit and correctly maintained
- Escalators are in good working order
- Lifts and travelators are well maintained in good working order
Stairs and escalators must be well maintained to reduce the risk of harm and injury to passengers and other people who use them. An airport operator could be held liable should you fall down the stairs because you tripped on a loose tile or because a hand rail was unstable.
Modern lifts are designed to prevent anyone falling down a shaft but they do contain moving parts, namely doors. If you were caught in a lift door and suffered an injury in Tenerife North Airport, you may be entitled to seek compensation.
Similarly, travelators although slow moving could suddenly stop and as a result you could fall and injure yourself. If you need advice or assistance on whether a third party could be held liable, please call us for a free, no obligation consultation.
Tenerife North Airport Shuttle Accidents
Many airports operate an internal shuttle bus service to help passengers get from one part of the airport to another efficiently. It often involves picking up passengers from parking areas or airport hotels and taking them to a terminal building. Shuttle buses also take you from a terminal to where a plane is boarding. You may find there is a shuttle service from Tenerife North airport to your hotel.
If you are involved in a shuttle bus accident at Tenerife North Airport whether the incident occurred on the tarmac or en-route to your hotel, you should contact a solicitor who would establish whether you have a valid personal injury claim against a negligent third party.
If it is found that the driver or the airport operator was negligent in their duty to keep you safe from harm, you could be entitled to claim compensation. Similarly if you were in a road traffic accident while being taken from the airport to your destination, the airport operator could be held responsible.
If you were injured in a road traffic accident while on a bus in Tenerife but it wasn’t related to an airport service, this guide could prove useful.
How Will An Airport Accident Claim In Spain Work?
The process of making a personal injury claim for an injury sustained at Tenerife North Airport is much the same as one that you would file in the UK. The reason being that a UK-based personal injury solicitor would represent you. However, there could be a few details which could make the process and outcome of the claim slightly different because Spanish law uses what’s known as Baremo tables to calculate a level of compensation you could be entitled to.
It is a ‘points based’ system which measures the severity of an injury and how it impacts a person’s life which is measured on a 1-100 scale. A minor injury would receive a low score whereas a severe injury which impacts your life due to disabilities, pain, disfigurement or trauma would be given a much higher score.
Spanish personal injury claims can also be paused or “interrupted” which could be done by filing a formal request to the court and to the defendant which is merely a formality. The formal request must provide an explanation why a pause would be necessary. An example being as follows:
- A new line of evidence is brought forth which a personal injury solicitor wishes to pursue
Once an interruption is in place, a statutory time limit would begin and the claim must be restarted within the deadline. It is worth noting that should a request for an interruption not be deemed valid, there would be little chance of being granted a pause or interruption.
Do I Have To Claim Through A Spanish Solicitor?
You could file a personal injury claim through a Spanish solicitor, and we could potentially assist you in doing so. However, you could also opt to employ the services of a UK-based solicitor at Accident Claims UK which would make the whole process that much easier. To find out more please get in touch with one of our expert advisers today.
Tenerife North Airport Accident Claims Calculator – Updated September 2021
The table below provides a guide to how much compensation you could be awarded in a successful Tenerife North Airport claim. The amounts are based on UK personal injury claims and do not take into account how compensation is calculated when a personal injury claim is filed in Spain.
It is also worth noting that the amounts provided cover general damages and that you would also be awarded special damages for any out of pocket expenses you may have incurred as a direct result of the injuries sustained in an accident at Tenerife North Airport.
| Injury | Notes | Compensation |
| Less serious leg injuries (i) | Fractures or soft tissue injuries from which an incomplete recovery is made. | £15,320 to £26,050 |
| Less serious leg injuries | Simple femur fracture with no damage to articular surfaces. | £7,780 to £13,210 |
| Less serious leg injuries (iii) | Simple fractures to tibia, femur or soft tissue injuries. Exact amount will depend on whether there is a complete recovery or residual symptoms. | £10,100 to £11,110 |
| Achilles tendon | Most serious | Around £36,060 |
| Less severe arm injury | Where an injury causing serious disability has fully recovered or will fully recover in the future. | £16,380 to £36,770 |
| Severe neck injuries | Associated with issues such as incomplete paraplegia | Around £139,210 |
| Clavicle fracture | Dependent on the extent of fracture and disability | £4,830 to £11,490 |
| Forearm fracture | Simple | £6,190 to £18,020 |
| Elbow | Severely disabling | £36,770 to £51,460 |
Tenerife North Airport Special Damages Claims
Special damages cover the money you have lost or had to spend as a consequence of suffering an injury at Tenerife North Airport which could cover things like the following:
- Lost income – money lost from taking time off work or having to leave your job because of the injury you sustained
- Medical and care expenses – money that you might have spent on receiving healthcare, counselling, physiotherapy, home care or medication as a result of your injury
- Travel expenses – if you had to spend money on travelling as a result of an injury whether you go by bus to hospital appointments or on flights back to England, you may be able claim the cost of these travel expenses
You would need to produce receipts as proof of your expenditure when claiming special damages in an accident at Tenerife North Airport.
Why Claim With Our Holiday Accidents Claims Team?
Our accident claims team have the legal expertise required to represent you should you have been injured in an accident at Tenerife North Airport. Your first consultation would be free of charge and once a solicitor has established you have a strong case against a negligent third party, they would offer to act on your behalf on a No Win No Fee basis. In short, the solicitor would represent you without requesting that you pay an upfront or ongoing fees.
No Win No Fee Tenerife North Airport Accident Claims
No win no fee claims offer you a way to claim compensation without any financial risks. A solicitor would sign an agreement with you which waives their right to receive payment should your case not be successful. If you win your claim and are awarded compensation, the amount you agreed to pay a personal injury solicitor would be deducted from the money awarded.
Start Your Tenerife North Airport Accident Claim
Accident Claims UK operates a 24/7 phone line, and our team of solicitors can be reached on 0800 073 8801. We also have an online start a claim form which allows you to arrange call back from a member of our team.
You can also contact us at our email address which is as follows: office@accidentclaims.co.uk.
Tenerife airport accident claims for a child I’m responsible for?
Were you travelling through Tenerife airport with a child, and they were injured in an accident that wasn’t their fault? A child could not make their own claim until they reach adulthood. However, you could potentially claim on their behalf up until their 18th birthday in many cases. This would involve you becoming their ‘litigation friend’. You’d then be able to claim on their behalf, making decisions about the case in their best interests. When a compensation payout comes through, it would usually then be held in a trust. The child could then, once they reach adulthood, gain access to the payout. However, if there were reasons some funds were needed from the payout, you could apply to the court for release. There would need to be a good reason for this, however. If you’re interested in claiming on behalf of a child, we’d urge you to speak to our team. We could assess whether you could claim for your child’s accident. Our no win no fee solicitors, authorised and regulated by the Solicitor’s Regulation Authority would fight for the maximum compensation possible for their claim.
Could I make Tenerife airport accident claims if I lost a loved one in a fatal accident?
Unfortunately, not every injury could be recovered from. If your loved one has passed away in a fatal accident that was not their fault, it could be that you could claim compensation. If you could prove that someone else was responsible for your loved one’s death, you could be eligible for compensation. We understand that no compensation payout could make up for your loved one losing their life, however, a payout could help to pay for their funeral. You could also receive compensation for the bereavement and in some cases, for the loss of financial support for dependents. We understand that talking about what happened to your loved one could be traumatic. We will handle your case with the utmost sensitivity and care.
Related Guides To Accidents In Spain
To find out more about holiday inury/illness compensation claims, please click on the link below:
Package holiday injury or illness
For more information on accident claims in Spain, please click on the link provided below:
Useful references
If you need advice and support following an accident at Tenerife North Airport, the link below takes you to the Government website where you will find more information on the type of support the British Consulate provides:
British Consulate, Santa Cruz de Tenerige
For more information on consumer holiday cancellations and compensation, please click on the link below:
More information on holiday cancellations and compensation
Thanks for reading this Tenerife airport accident claims guide.