25-05-2025
Spain cracks down on 'unsafe' and 'unhealthy' behaviour at country's airports
Spain cracks down on 'unsafe' and 'unhealthy' behaviour at country's airports
Around 400 people are believed to be sleeping at Madrid's Barajas Airport every night, prompting the airport operator to employ a private security firm to address the growing issue
Members of the Spanish Union of Airline Pilots (SEPLA) are set to go on strike
(Image: Europa Press 2023/Getty )
UK holidaymakers are set to experience a significant shift at Spanish airports, as EU transport hubs implement new access restrictions between 9pm and 5am. At Madrid-Barajas Airport, approximately 400 people have been found to be using the airport as a makeshift overnight shelter, leaving during the day and returning at night to sleep.
To curb this issue, Madrid's main airport has contracted a private security firm to counteract the increasing problem of homeless people staying in its terminals after hours. The establishment, operated by AENA, is boosting its security teams and setting limitations on nighttime entry, with particular emphasis on Terminal 4.
Curbing access involves limiting entrance to solely five points from 9pm to 5am.
With doors remaining open at only five access points across Terminals 1, 2, and 3 and an additional four in Terminal 4, AENA aims to tackle what it describes as "unsafe and unhealthy" circumstances by enhancing its squad of private security officers with an extra 22 members to uphold the fresh regulations. Sign up for our free daily briefing on the biggest issues facing the nation sign up to the Wales Matters newsletter here.
Israel Vellisca, a representative for the Federation of Mobility and Consumer Services (Fesmc) of UGT Madrid, said: "This is not a train or metro station with set closure hours.", reports Birmingham Live.
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Union sources have stressed, "Any restriction on access to a public space must be justified and documented". The CCOO union section at Aena has raised concerns about "the serious situation that both workers and airport users have been suffering for months, due to the continued and growing presence of homeless people staying in various areas of the airport facilities, especially in the passenger terminals and transit areas.".
"This is a social problem, not a labor issue," Vellisca pointed out. "Madrid Airport is the first and last image tourists have of Spain.
"We need a long-term, humane solution that involves public institutions, social organizations, and proper support services."
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The union has reported receiving multiple complaints from workers from different groups, including cleaning, security, handling, customer service, shops, and catering, alleging unsanitary conditions, persistent smells, the use of restrooms as overnight areas, accumulation of belongings, occasional aggression, and a lack of effective intervention by the competent authorities.
