Chaos at Madrid Airport: insects, homeless and security concerns!

Der Flughafen Madrid-Barajas kämpft 2025 mit Insektenproblemen, Obdachlosigkeit und Sicherheitsrisiken, die Reisende betreffen.
Madrid-Barajas Airport is fighting insect problems, homelessness and security risks that affect travelers in 2025. (Symbolbild/ER)

Chaos at Madrid Airport: insects, homeless and security concerns!

Flughafen Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas, Madrid, Spanien - Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas Airport, Spain's most important international hub and one of the most busiest airports in Europe, faces increasing challenges. In 2023, the airport recorded over 60 million passengers, and the situation has increased further in the past few months. As early as 2024, a historical passenger record was reached with over 66 million travelers, which only tightened the problems. Employees report massive hygienic and safety defects that can no longer be ignored.

The reports on insect plagues, including cockroaches, spiders and bed bugs, are particularly alarming. Bed bugs have reported employees in the luggage handling area, which indicates a serious risk of hygiene. According to watson.de Extension of the problems remains unclear.

social challenges and security

Another big problem is the increasing number of homeless people who regularly try to find a place to sleep in the airport. According to the Uso union, between 500 and 600 people sleep in the terminals every night. These are often asylum seekers without a residence permit or working people with low incomes that set up cardboard -like accommodations or sleeping bags in sanitary facilities and remote areas. It is estimated that between 300 and 500 homeless people regularly spend the night in the airport, such as spaniPress.com reported.

The situation is tightened by a lack of clear responsibilities between the city administration of Madrid and the airport administration. There is a dispute over the responsibility for the homeless care, while the city of Madrid only offers 2800 overnight stays for homeless people. Security forces try to reject people without a plane ticket, but this has not improved the conditions on site. Violent incidents, including robberies and disputes with knives, have contributed to a feeling of uncertainty, which makes the airport appear dangerous.

burden for the staff

The night shifts for the cleaning staff are increasingly stressful. Employees report frequent threats, verbal attacks and physical attacks, including splash bites. Due to the uncertain circumstances, employees are often only active in certain areas. These reports underpin the image of an airport that is considered the first picture of Spain for millions of travelers, but is currently characterized by neglect and uncertainty.

Despite the alarming situation, the political silence remains. Neither Aena, the town hall of Madrid nor the national government have taken concrete measures. This leads to an unclear handling of the challenges, while the situation at the airport continues to worsen.

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OrtFlughafen Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas, Madrid, Spanien
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