Workers at the airport have complained to bosses over the situation, leading to management calling in pest controlMaria Ortega, John Varga and Liam Ryder Digital Production Editor
04:00, 17 May 2025
Passengers at a major European transport hub face chaos over reports of a ‘biting insect infestation'(Image: Pablo Blazquez Dominguez, Getty Images)
A major European airport has descended into chaos after bosses were forced to call in pest control. Workers at Madrid‘s international airport have raised concerns about “biting insects” at the transport hub.
Numerous workers reported being bitten on duty, providing photographic proof. These complaints prompted management at Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas Airport in the Spanish capital to enlist a pest control firm to fumigate various parts of the site.
They then disinfected corridors, furniture, and luggage reclaim belts in an effort to regain control of the situation. However, Aena – the state-owned company that manages the airport and 45 others in the Spain – has denied the presence of bedbugs, reports the Express.
An Aena spokesperson issued an “urgent statement” following claims the airport had been plagued by bedbugs. The company has dismissed reports of an insect infestation in Terminal 4 of Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas Airport.
In its statement, the company admitted a pest control service had been called in after some airport staff reported being bitten, but added no evidence of an infestation had been found. However, Aena did concede insects had been spotted in “very limited” zones within different sections of the airport.
Barajas airport is a major hub for those visiting Spain(Image: Europa Press News, Europa Press via Getty Images)
Aena said it had conducted inspections, surveillance, and preventative treatments, and targeted measures had been put in place in very restricted and specific areas when insects had been detected. The authority confirmed it has collaborated “in coordination” with the cleaning and pest control companies to implement all necessary sanitary measures and has consistently kept the relevant employee firms updated.
Although there had been reports in some media outlets and on social media that homeless people living at the airport might be responsible for the bedbugs, Aena stated that “it cannot be confirmed that this is the origin.” However, the management has said it is cracking down on homeless people using the airport as a night-time refuge.
Airport management denied claims of a ‘plague’ of biting insects(Image: NoelUroz via Getty Images)
A recent study by the charity Caritas suggests that up to 421 homeless people are taking shelter inside Terminal 4. Caritas is the official charitable and social relief organisation of the Catholic Church in Spain, established by the Spanish Episcopal Conference.
The number of people seeking shelter at the airport has risen after city-funded initiatives over the winter to provide additional support and relief to those sleeping rough came to an end. Charity workers have accused Aena of implementing measures intended to discourage the homeless from using the airport as a night-time refuge.
Such measures include access restrictions, alterations to the air conditioning to make overnight stays less comfortable, and the removal of furniture like benches in the terminal’s most frequented areas. Gaspar García, a coordinator for the charity Bokatas, has expressed concern that airport management is barring their staff from entering the terminal to assist the homeless.
Aena has come under scrutiny for new measures to combat homelessnes at the airport(Image: Europa Press News, Europa Press via Getty Images)
The organisation, which hands out food and hygiene kits to the homeless in areas they frequent, has been engaged in this charitable work for six years. Aena officials have repeatedly met with representatives from Bokatas, urging them to cease their activities on the grounds that it encourages the homeless to stay at the airport.
“They tell us we bring them by distributing food, but these people aren’t here because we give them a sandwich,” Gaspar explained. He also said airport security staff are insisting people show their plane tickets before they can enter the terminals.
“They do this with those they already know are homeless,” he said. “They don’t ask anything from others.”
And he said these measures had exacerbated tensions: “These decisions have only created more conflict,” he said.
“Previously, they were dispersed. Many dressed well and blended in with passengers; they sat down to sleep, got up and left without bothering anyone. But now, having to lie on cardboard on the floor changes perceptions and makes them more likely to be singled out.”