Problems are returning long queues and long waiting times Passport controls at Madrid-Barajas airport. A situation that already occurred intermittently during the high seasons of summer and Easter last year and is now starting to regenerate before the anticipated traffic peaks for this year, and passenger numbers will fully recover before the pandemic hits.
Airlines are on the warpath and denounce the lack of police at the capital’s airport to check on non-EU passengers, a key task to normally operate hundreds of flights connecting to Latin American, European and other Spanish cities, where companies are concentrated in Madrid.
Complaints of the airlines came to the fore Frontal conflict with the Ministry of Internal AffairsHe denounces the “repeated deception” that airlines spread before peak seasons to hide their own lack of ground staff, and claims they increased the number of police officers assigned to passenger control in Barajas by 25% last year.
according to the data of Airlines Association (ALA), The employer association, which brings together the majority of the airlines operating in the Spanish market, this month only in Barajas Terminal 4, which has the busiest traffic, where companies such as Iberia and Vueling operate, more than 4,500 passengers They missed their connecting flight due to the wait. And this weekend alone, there were more than 1,000 passengers who couldn’t catch the next flight after the stop in Madrid due to queues. Some problems that may also occur in Terminal 1, where international traffic is also heavy, but the association has not yet determined the number of affected passengers.
“At this point in the season, when Easter hasn’t even started yet, it’s totally unacceptable that we’re seeing the endless queues at passport control once again, like last summer.” Javier Gándara, president of ALA and managing director of easyJet in Spain.
Airlines are requesting the Government to immediately appoint more police officers to participate in document control duties. We request the Ministry of Interior to put the necessary resources of the National Police at the passport controls of Barajas and at other airports with heavy traffic from third countries so that these situations do not happen again.”
HE Home Office responds to criticism of airlines and condemns companies’ “scams” He blames the delay on some scheduled flights from a backlog of passengers at check-ins this weekend, about the police officers’ inability to “hide their shame” over their own lack of ground personnel. The department under the command of Fernando Grande-Marlaska clearly blames airlines for possible queuing problems and has ensured that it has not received any requests from passengers in recent weeks due to pending or missing connecting flights in Barajas.
Interior, last year’s number The number of agents assigned to passport control increased by 25%, from currently 362 police officers to a total of 451., in line with the increase in passenger traffic following the shutdowns caused by the covid pandemic. Also, official sources from the Ministry confirmed that reinforcements with 25 additional National Police agents are planned for Easter.
Airlines have been warned of the need to eliminate queues to keep the tourism boom going. “We’ve played a lot this summer. We’re likely to hit pre-pandemic levels. The last thing we need is for international tourists to see the endless queues at passport control first. This has to go away,” the president of the ALA air employers association continues for his part. Last summer, airlines at major airports Following complaints about queue chaos, Interior announced that it has added 500 additional agents over the summer season.
Spanish airports manager Aena confirmed that the growth in passenger traffic continues and that February is the second month that passenger volume has been exceeded before the covid pandemic. Airports closed last February with 16.62 million passengers, increasing by 2.2% compared to the same month of 2019 and by 39.6% compared to February 2022.
The airline explains how the problem of long queues at Police passport controls has worsened since last year at Spanish airports with the highest traffic for international flights. Companies warn of the lack of agencies dedicated to managing documents for non-EU passengers. The UK remains the main source market for tourists coming to Spain after Brexit. causing delays or missed flights.