SPAIN’S airports have been overrun by homeless camps, crime and filthy insect infestations – prompting traveller warnings and a public outcry.
Some rough sleepers have slept in the terminals for up to seven years, and have seen brazen violence and drug use under the roofs.
about dirty and in some cases dangerous conditions after airport had to be last week.
The capital’s airport – full name Adolfo Suarez Madrid-Barajas – is the country’s busiest and is where a “hidden city”;; has been allowed to balloon over the past decade.
Urine puddles and crack pipes little the floor, and nomads “off their faces”;; roam the corridors.
An estimated 400 rough sleepers hunker down in dark corners of the airport every night – with Terminal 4 the epicentre of the crisis.
Some lay mattresses and cardboard onto the hard floor, while others simply curl up next to the walls surrounded by their belongings.
Many of the rough sleepers can also be seen sprawled across the chairs in the waiting areas of the terminal.
One shocking video clip even shows that a homeless man has occupied and airport lift and turned it into his bedroom.
Malaga airport and Palma, on Mallorca, are also dealing with influxes of rough sleepers – are sparking both humanitarian concerns andhealthand safety fears.
State-owned airport authority Aena announced last week it would limit access to Madrid airport during some parts of the day in order to deter rough sleepers.
From Wednesday, only travellers with boarding passes, airport employees and those accompanying ticket holders will be allowed to enter the airport after 9pm.
is just one of the problems affecting the airports.
Madrid-Barajas had to be fumigated last week after passengers and staff reported being covered in bedbug bites.
Footage posted to social media also showed various bugs – including cockroaches, ticks and fleas – crawling around the airport, and workers posted evidence of the bites.
Aena was forced to call in the pest-control team to blast several zones including hallways, furniture, and even check-in belts.
Airport staff down in Malaga have also reported noticing the itchy red bumps – though officials deny there is a problem.
Workers in the southern airport claim to have seen the insects “climbing up the walls”;; near the departure gates, and report using insect repellent before work.
Alongside the dirty conditions, there are reports of looting and violence in Madrid’s airport, and this impacts the rough sleepers as well as the staff.
Spanish media reported earlier this month that some of the occupants have been found with knives, machetes and other homemade weapons.
Crack, other use and even prostitution are also reportedly common.
Christian Velez, a 70-year-old French man who claims to have slept there for seven years, said he has seen horrific in the so-called “homeless city”;;.
He told Spanish news outlet El Espanol: “Recently, another homeless person stole my suitcase with all my belongings, as well as a friend’s.
Fernando, from Peru, has been living at Terminal 4 for several months.
He moved to two years ago in search of a better life, but ended up on the streets when work as a removal man dried up and he couldn’t afford his rent.
He told the Daily Mail: “You definitely have to sleep with one eye open.
“There are some bad eggs here who will rob you while you sleep, they usually come out at 3am, they’ll take your phone, cigarettes, or whatever they can grab.
“Some of them just drink all day and get themselves into a state, they are peeing and going to the toilet where they sleep, off their heads.”;;
Spain’s Workers’ Union [CCOO] is leading calls urgeing Madrid airport to clean up its act on behalf of its members.
The organisation says both staff and passengers are being exposed to unsanitary and dangerous conditions.
The CCOO warned of “the serious situation [...] due to the continued and growing presence of homeless people in various areas [...] especially in the passenger terminals and transit areas”;;.
The union said it has received complaints from workers in “cleaning, security, handling, customer service, shops, and catering”;; roles.
And the list of problems caused by homelessness includes “unsanitary conditions, persistent smells, the use of restrooms as overnight areas, accumulation of belongings and occasional aggression”;;, it said.
A Madrid city council spokesperson said the city authority had recently called for a meeting with officials from Aena, the regional government of Madrid and several national ministries, but they declined.
LucÃa MartÃn said: “Without them, there is no possible solution.
She said that the national ministries of transport, interior, inclusion, social rights and health declined to participate in a working group.
A day earlier, Aena accused Madrid’s city authorities of providing inadequate help and said that the city government’s statements about the unfolding situation confirmed its ‘dereliction of duty’ and abandonment of the airport’s homeless individuals.
