Passengers flying out of Madrid on 2 January faced queues of up to 50 minutes at Terminal 4 passport control after private-security contractor Trablisa staged a sudden work-to-rule in the first shift of the year. Social-media images showed snaking lines stretching back to the retail area, and several passengers missed domestic connections. Aena confirmed the bottleneck but said throughput returned to normal by midday once the company redeployed supervisory staff and opened additional e-gates.
Trablisa guards are demanding a dedicated collective agreement and compensation for irregular hours. The firm previously paralysed controls at Barcelona-El Prat in 2023 and Palma de Mallorca in 2024, raising concerns among airlines that similar tactics could re-emerge during the Easter peak.
![Passport-control slow-down at Barajas eases after early-morning security ‘work-to-rule’]()
During periods of uncertainty at border control, services like VisaHQ can streamline pre-departure formalities. Through its Spain portal (https://www.visahq.com/spain/), the platform enables travellers and corporate mobility teams to verify visa requirements, lodge electronic applications and receive real-time status alerts, reducing the risk that documentation issues compound airport delays.
For expatriate managers the incident is a reminder that Spain’s outsourced airport-security model remains fragile during wage negotiations. Mobility teams should advise travellers to arrive at least three hours before long-haul departures over the next fortnight and to pre-enrol in Spain’s automated ABC biometric gates where eligible.
While no further industrial action has been announced, unions have not ruled out escalations if talks stall. Aena said it is "reviewing contingency staffing" with the National Police to avoid repeat disruptions during the 6 January Three Kings holiday return rush.
Trablisa guards are demanding a dedicated collective agreement and compensation for irregular hours. The firm previously paralysed controls at Barcelona-El Prat in 2023 and Palma de Mallorca in 2024, raising concerns among airlines that similar tactics could re-emerge during the Easter peak.
During periods of uncertainty at border control, services like VisaHQ can streamline pre-departure formalities. Through its Spain portal (https://www.visahq.com/spain/), the platform enables travellers and corporate mobility teams to verify visa requirements, lodge electronic applications and receive real-time status alerts, reducing the risk that documentation issues compound airport delays.
For expatriate managers the incident is a reminder that Spain’s outsourced airport-security model remains fragile during wage negotiations. Mobility teams should advise travellers to arrive at least three hours before long-haul departures over the next fortnight and to pre-enrol in Spain’s automated ABC biometric gates where eligible.
While no further industrial action has been announced, unions have not ruled out escalations if talks stall. Aena said it is "reviewing contingency staffing" with the National Police to avoid repeat disruptions during the 6 January Three Kings holiday return rush.
