Madrid’s Barajas Airport. Credit: Kastaprav, Shutterstock
Madrid Airport restricts overnight access due to rise in homeless people sleeping inside terminals.
Madrid’s Barajas Airport will begin restricting access during quiet hours in response to a sharp increase in homeless people sleeping inside its terminals, Spain’s airport authority AENA confirmed on Wednesday, May 14.
Only passengers with boarding passes, airport workers, and individuals accompanying ticketed travellers will be allowed entry during periods of low flight activity. The new rules are expected to come into effect in the coming days, although AENA has not provided exact timings.
The decision follows months of complaints and growing concern over people setting up makeshift camps in the airport’s terminals, especially near walls and toilets. Local reports estimate the number of homeless people using the facility for overnight shelter is now in the hundreds.
In a statement issued Wednesday, AENA said:
“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” (Cited by AP News.)
AENA also confirmed it had asked Madrid city officials for assistance “months ago” but received “insufficient help” in resolving the issue.
Concerns ahead of summer travel boom in Madrid Airport
The access restrictions are being introduced just as Spain heads into its peak summer tourism season. In 2024, the country welcomed a record-breaking 94 million international tourists – making it the most popular overseas destination for UK holidaymakers, according to The Independent.
Efforts to find a lasting solution to the airport encampments have been hindered by a political “blame game.”
The upcoming access restrictions at Barajas may offer temporary relief for airport operations, but they also highlight growing social tensions in one of Europe’s busiest travel hubs.
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