Fights break out at major holiday spot airport as passport control 'collapses'
Furious holidaymakers were left stranded and scrapping in queues as chaos erupted at Madrid -Barajas Airport - with passport control descending into what was described as total 'collapse'.
Bottlenecks, scuffles and missed flights plagued Spain's busiest holiday hub after a 'temporary computer failure' crippled border checks at Terminal 4. State-owned airport operator Aena said the system breakdown triggered overcrowding at passport control, where immigration officers were already struggling to process passengers quickly. Some travellers were left waiting over an hour just to get through document checks and security, while tempers flared in packed queues. Local reports say the Spanish Civil Guard had to step in after minor fights broke out between frustrated passengers.
Hundreds are believed to have missed their flights altogether. Aena said they are now working closely with officers to 'control the flow of people and prevent a situation of collapse', but passengers and airlines have slammed the situation as avoidable.
Carriers say the chaos was made worse by a lack of police officers assigned to T4 - a critical failure during the start of the summer getaway, when the number of tourists passing through Europe's airports surges. The meltdown in Madrid comes just days after Ryanair issued a stark warning about delays across several airports in Portugal.
The low-cost carrier revealed that queues of up to two-and-a-half hours are wreaking havoc on flights from Faro, Lisbon and Porto - leaving families with children stuck for hours and travellers missing connections.
'In just the past two weeks, over 270 passengers missed their flights at these airports due to excessive delays caused by understaffed border controls,' Ryanair said in a statement. The airline has urged Portugal's new government to act urgently and address the growing staff shortages before the situation worsens.
Ryanair placed the blame with airport operator ANA, accusing it of failing to prepare adequately for the annual summer travel surge. 'The new government should take urgent measures to ensure that border control at Portuguese airport is duly equipped with resources,' the statement continued.
It also stressed that action must be taken now to prevent further chaos as peak season looms large, 'especially during the morning rush hour, in order to avoid unnecessary delays and more people unfairly missing their flights'.
Travel companies reported thousands of UK holidaymakers are now ditching traditional European hotspots in favour of north Africa. Countries like Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia are all experiencing a boost in visitors from the UK.
Figures from aviation analysts Cirium show 19,847 flights are projected to serve routes from UK airports to those nations this year, more than twice as many as the 8,653 that did so in 2019.
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