Madrid Airport homeless reports

[MARTINE]

Hello AFF Family.
Currently in Europe and reading reports about Madrid Airport Adolfo Suarez. Apparantly this airport is in public hands and about 200+ people who are homeless live there and there there is a stand off between who is responsible for managing. Apparantly T4 is worse, last fortnight a fumigation was undertaken due to bedbug infestation and cleaners who work overnight need escorts. As its a public space there has been reluctance to evict.

Does anyone have recent experience?

Madrid Airport forces new access rules in May

Madrid Airport restricts overnight access due to rise in homeless people sleeping inside terminals.

euroweeklynews.com

 

[TheRealTMA]

Hello AFF Family.
Currently in Europe and reading reports about Madrid Airport Adolfo Suarez. Apparantly this airport is in public hands and about 200+ people who are homeless live there and there there is a stand off between who is responsible for managing. Apparantly T4 is worse, last fortnight a fumigation was undertaken due to bedbug infestation and cleaners who work overnight need escorts. As its a public space there has been reluctance to evict.

Does anyone have recent experience?

Madrid Airport forces new access rules in May

Madrid Airport restricts overnight access due to rise in homeless people sleeping inside terminals.

euroweeklynews.com

You can sometimes get approached by strange people at Madrid airport asking for strange things. Avoid contact. Don’t hang around outside border control too long. Get inside to the lounges.

 

[SYD]

Passed through last year and the year before (multiple arrivals / departures) and totally oblivious to this. Metro to/from the airport similarly ok.

 

[Seat0B]

We were there in December 2024 and had no real trouble. We were approached by a strange man in the terminal as suggested by @TheRealTMA. He had some totally bogus story that just didn’t add up and asked us for EUR 20. We just said no and kept walking off purposefully. He did not follow us and it was weird rather than scary.

So I would say just keep your wits about you. Don’t leave anything unattended for even a moment and keep valuables well out of reach of pick pockets. These abound everywhere in Spain.

 

[SYD]

So I would say just keep your wits about you. Don’t leave anything unattended for even a moment and keep valuables well out of reach of pick pockets. These abound everywhere in Spain.

Barcelona is certainly in the Top 10 pick pocket cities of the world. Not so much Madrid (but always use common sense as you would anywhere in the world). I’m actually scratching my head to recall if “homelessness” was particularly visible in Madrid (compared to a lot of other places).

Certainly outside the big tourist areas eg coastal areas down south, Spain is very safe. Even Malaga was completely fine a few months ago.

 

[drron]

Depends what you mean top 10 pickpocket places are. Barcelona certainly has many pickpockets but they really aren't very skilled. You can feel them.
In my experience the best pick pockets were in the 70s and 80s in Bugis street Singapore. I test out the pickpockets by having some folded up tourist leaflets in my back pocket. In Bugis street I never felt a thing but every thing taken. Probably number 2 were young children in the Sacred Valley in Peru.

 

[SYD]

Depends what you mean top 10 pickpocket places are. Barcelona certainly has many pickpockets but they really aren't very skilled. You can feel them.
In my experience the best pick pockets were in the 70s and 80s in Bugis street Singapore. I test out the pickpockets by having some folded up tourist leaflets in my back pocket. In Bugis street I never felt a thing but every thing taken. Probably number 2 were young children in the Sacred Valley in Peru.

Not a reference to skill but likelihood. Passports are very much favoured these days. As are phones and bags left on outside tables for easy picking by e-Scooters* whizzing by.

*the world has moved on from classic Oliver Twist pickpockets.