Holidaymakers warned of long delays at top Spanish airport this summer after thousands miss their flights
TRAVEL leaders are warning about new chaos for Brits heading to Spain this summer.
The Madrid Federation of Travel Agencies (FEMAV) is calling for urgent action to avoid the mayhem of last summer at the busy Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas Airport.
The agency says a "multitude" of flights were missed in 2022 due to lack of personnel at passport control and warns: "The same is going to happen this year!"
The Madrid employers have asked Spain's tourism department to "reinforce the means and resources in these airport controls."
They say chaos is on the cards and more missed flights for the army of passengers who pass through the airport, including millions of Brits.
Co-presidents of the Federation, José Luis Méndez and César Gutiérrez, along with by Manuel Galindo, FEMAV adviser, and David Hernández, head of digitisation of the federation, have called for "means and resources to be reinforced in these airport controls".
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The Madrid travel agents say that "during the past Easter, there have been times when these services have been stressed again."
Last summer, Madrid officials claimed the airport was "near to collapse" due to long waits to get through passport control.
They also said the chaos was reflected at other Spanish airports, including Alicante, Malaga, Tenerife Sur and Palma.
The Spanish association of airlines, ALA, has also raised concerns, saying the scenes are likely to be repeated at other tourist airports, such as the Balearics and Canary Islands.
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Airline Iberia said around 15,000 passengers missed their connection between March and June alone because of the long queues.
Spain's Ministry of Interior said last summer that reinforcements were being brought in but denied long queues, saying it was down to a number of flights arriving at the same time.
And a spokesman said: "Passport controls in Spanish airports are police filters that are dimensioned with respect to the flow of passengers and are reinforced whenever it is necessary."
There is some good news for Brits heading to Spain.
Spanish airport authority Aena has confirmed that they are easing the rules that make passengers have to take their liquids out of your bag.
The new technology will be rolled out at Barcelona and Madrid Airport first, according to , as they handle 40 per cent of passengers in the country.
By the end of next year, they will be rolled out to Palma Airport, followed by all other Spanish airports including Ibiza and Tenerife.
