Air passengers face delays after Spain beefs up security in anti-terror measures

The Spanish authorities are introducing more rigorous security checks, which require detailed personal information in advance for all UK visitors.

Travellers who fail to provide the necessary details could be denied permission to board flights.

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Before boarding, all travellers are required to give the details on the back page of their passport, including full name, nationality, date of birth and passport number.

The Spanish government believes the Advance Passenger Information system – which is expected to be introduced across the EU over the next year – will allow them to identify potential terrorists before they arrive in their country.

Although the system was introduced tentatively in June, the full switch-over comes into effect today.

In theory, airlines and holiday companies should be able to capture the necessary information quickly by passing passports over a scanner.

However, many British travel companies do not yet have the scanners in place, meaning that their passengers will have to provide the details either online or by phoning a registration service number, which could cause delays.

Any disruption could have an enormous impact as Spain is Britain's biggest holiday destination, with some 12.5million visitors a year.

Under the scheme, which the Spanish government has vowed to enforce strictly, airlines can be fined up to £41,000 per flight for failing to supply passengers' personal information before take-off.

A number of airlines – including British Airways – have tackled the problem by collecting the information from those booking on the internet at the same time as payment.

But budget airline Ryanair took out adverts yesterday, warning of the changes.

It notes on its website: "There may be some disruption at airports.

"If you are travelling to Spain, from the 19th of September 2007, you are advised to allow extra time to check in for your flight. Passengers who do not provide the required passenger information will not be accepted for travel."