- Hundreds of homeless individuals, including Teresa, seek shelter at Madrid’s airport.
- Rising rental costs in cities like Madrid and Barcelona exacerbate housing insecurity.
- Authorities remain in a political standoff over who is responsible for addressing the crisis.
For the past six months, Teresa, a 54-year-old Spanish-Ecuadorian woman, has called Terminal 4 of Madrid’s airport home. Alongside her husband and others, she has set up camp in corners of the bustling transport hub, a last resort amid skyrocketing rental costs in Madrid.
Madrid’s city council has attempted to pass responsibility to Spain’s national government, but coordination remains elusive. Meanwhile, AENA, the state-owned airport operator, plans to limit entry during low-travel hours, potentially displacing the homeless population further without offering alternative housing arrangements.
Spain’s Housing Crisis: Homelessness Surges at Madrid Airport
In the heart of Madrid’s bustling airport, a growing number of homeless individuals find themselves stranded amid Spain’s escalating housing crisis. The situation has become a microcosm of broader socio-economic challenges, as rental costs continue to soar in urban centers like Madrid and Barcelona.
Despite the visibility of the issue, authorities at the local, regional, and national levels remain locked in a political stalemate. Madrid’s city council asserts that the national government should lead rehabilitation efforts, while AENA, the state-owned airport operator, accuses city authorities of neglecting their social welfare duties.
Caught in the crossfire are people like Marta Cecilia, a 58-year-old woman from Colombia, who has been sleeping in Terminal 4 for several months. With nowhere else to go and no support from social services, she navigates a daily routine of seeking food, shelter, and safety within the airport’s confines.
AENA’s recent announcement to limit airport access during off-peak hours could exacerbate the crisis further. While intended to curb the number of homeless individuals using the airport as a refuge, the policy fails to address the root cause of the problem — the lack of affordable housing and emergency shelters in Spain’s capital.
The situation at Madrid’s airport underscores the urgent need for a coordinated response to Spain’s housing crisis, as vulnerable individuals like Teresa and Marta Cecilia remain in limbo without meaningful support.
“It’s like a dog chasing its tail,” said Marta Cecilia Cárdenas, describing the endless cycle of being passed from one authority to another without receiving real assistance.
