Flight Delays in Madrid: Security Workers' Strike Paralyzes Barajas Airport.

Chaos Continues for Tourists in Spain Due to Strike

According to The Sun: Thousands of tourists in Spain are currently facing difficulties due to an ongoing strike.

Security workers at Adolfo Suárez Airport in Madrid have announced an "indefinite" strike that began on September 14.

Tourists are facing huge lines at the airport, causing some to miss their flights.

According to the Spanish airline Iberia, around 1,900 passengers were unable to depart this week.

The airline issued the following recommendations:

“Due to the strike unrelated to Iberia by security workers at Madrid Airport, there are delays in accessing the airport. We recommend arriving earlier and checking hand luggage for free to expedite the security screening.”

Passengers are forced to wait over an hour to pass through security.

The airport advises passengers to check in luggage rather than traveling with hand luggage to reduce queues.

The Spanish airport authority AENA warned on social media:

“Due to the strike announced by Trablisa security workers at Madrid-Barajas Airport, security screening times may be longer than usual. We apologize for any inconvenience.”

One passenger shared images of the enormous queues at 6 a.m. on social media, noting:

“Lines and lines again before the security check.”

Another airport customer remarked:

“When I talk about kilometer-long queues to get through security, I am not exaggerating.”

The strike organized by the private security company Trablisa is caused by disagreement over salary increases.

Approximately 21 out of 850 security employees participated in the strike.

Striking representative Alejandro Corredera Arriaga emphasized that the workload at Madrid Airport "significantly exceeds" workload levels at other Spanish airports.

Adolfo Suárez Airport in Madrid is the largest in Spain and the second largest in Europe (after Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris). It serves the largest number of passengers in the country — approximately 66 million annually.

This strike is not the only problem that tourists may face in Spain. Plans to introduce new regulations banning smoking in all outdoor spaces may also cause inconvenience for vacationers.