CHAOS has erupted in Spain after the passport control “collapsed” at a major holiday airport.
Holidaymakers were seen fighting after endless bottleneck queues formed at Madrid-Barajas Airport due to overcrowding.
Endless passenger queues are seen forming at Madrid-Barajas Airport
Travellers complain that immigration officers took around an hour to complete the document and checks, and go through securityX/@aviaciondigital
AlamyThe control tower at Barajas international airport[/caption]
Hundreds of passengers are understood to have missed their flights due to longer wait times, local media outlet Telcinco reports.
The Spanish Civil Guard were forced to take charge after passengers engaged in minor scuffles.
State-owned Aena, which operates the majority of the airports in Spain, said that chaos erupted after Border Control officers at T4 of the airport “was too slow” to do the checks.
Authorities have blamed a “temporary computer failure” for the long queues, which led to overcrowding.
Travellers complained that immigration officers took around an hour to complete the document and checks, and go through security.
Meanwhile, airlines complain of a lack of police officers at T4, which is understood to have added to the situation.
Aena has said that they have been working with cops to “ control the flow of people and prevent a situation of collapse.”
Officials have also attributed the chaos to the start of the summer holiday season during which hundreds of thousands of travellers visit Europe.
It comes after Ryanair issued a warning to customers after hundreds of passengers have missed flights in recent weeks.
The low-cost airline reported disruptions due to long queues in Portugal.
The airline said the long lines are resulting in unnecessary wait times, reaching up to two-and-a-half hours.
These disruptions have affected passengers across Faro, Lisbon, and Porto airports.
Ryanair called on Portugal’s new government to urgently tackle the ongoing staff shortages at these locations.
The massive delays are disrupting hundreds of passengers each day, including many who are travelling with young children.
“In just the past two weeks, over 270 passengers missed their flights at these airports due to excessive delays caused by understaffed border controls,” Ryanair said in a statement.
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