Madrid’s airport is restricting access during off-peak hours to address the growing issue of homeless people seeking shelter in its terminals.
Spain’s airport authority, AENA, announced the new measures on Wednesday night.
It said that only travellers with boarding passes, airport employees, and those accompanying ticketed passengers will be allowed entry to Barajas during periods with limited flight activity.
The move comes after months of increasing numbers of homeless people, reportedly in the hundreds, setting up encampments within the terminals, often near walls and bathrooms.
AENA said it had asked Madrid city officials for help in addressing the problem months ago, but had received little help so far.
“Airports are not places designed for living in, but rather are infrastructure solely for transit, which in no case offers adequate conditions for overnight stays,” AENA said in a statement issued on Wednesday.
A political blame game between authorities at different levels of government has left the issue largely unaddressed before the peak summer travel season.
Spain received a record 94 million international tourists in 2024. It is the most popular overseas destination for people in the UK.
However, earlier this month, Jet2’s CEO Steve Heapy warned of a growing reluctance among British holidaymakers to visit Spain due to anti-tourism protests.
Mr Heapy noted a growing “perception” that some Spanish residents resent the influx of tourists.
In recent years, several Spanish cities popular with tourists have seen demonstrations by locals protesting the impact of tourism, particularly on rental costs.
Protest banners have displayed slogans such as “tourists go home”, contributing to the negative perception among potential visitors.
Mr Heapy said: “We’ve had people ringing the call centre and going into travel agents, asking questions like ‘is Spain safe’, ‘are we still welcome in the resort’.”
He went on: “It is becoming a big issue unfortunately, and perception becomes truth.”
Mr Heapy said “unlicensed tourism” – such as people staying in private accommodation listed on Airbnb – is “causing a huge problem” and “needs to be controlled”.
Issues such as uncertainty over visitor numbers, unpaid tourist taxes and properties that “could be death traps” are among the issues, he said.
