Aena has begun to inform homeless people sleeping in the Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas Airport that they will not be able to remain on the premises starting Thursday, July twenty-fourth. This decision comes as a new municipal shelter specifically designated to accommodate these individuals is set to open, having been announced by the Mayor of Madrid in May.

Currently, between two hundred seventy-one and four hundred twenty-one individuals without homes have been using the airport as a shelter. Many of these individuals are men aged between forty-five and sixty-four, and a significant percentage have jobs, albeit often precarious. Social service teams are working to guide these individuals towards the new shelter while noting that the airport is not suitable for habitation.

Aena has emphasized that airports are not designed for living but only for transit. They have been carrying out continuous cleaning and hygiene measures, refuting any claims of infestations linked to the presence of homeless people. According to Aena, the number of homeless individuals at the airport has declined in recent weeks, and proper emergency care is being offered by social services.

Critics, including social organisations, argue that current measures are leading to the expulsion of homeless people without providing meaningful solutions for their accommodation. The Ministry of Transport has urged local authorities to find adequate housing arrangements, suggesting a model similar to one already established in Barcelona to address homelessness in a more compassionate manner.