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Spain’s booming tourism has a flipside: some of the country’s busiest airports are also some of Europe’s most criticised. According to Reclamio, a flight claims management platform that helps passengers seek compensation for delays and cancellations, Gran Canaria and Tenerife North airports rank among the top ten in Europe for passenger complaints over the last four years.

 

Madrid’s Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas Airport, however, holds the highest share with 15% of complaints, followed by Barcelona-El Prat at 9% and Palma de Mallorca with 3.4%. Meanwhile, Málaga and Ibiza also feature in the list, along with the two Canary Islands airports. This highlights how increasing passenger numbers and operational challenges combine to impact user experience.

 

Jordi Mercader, head of Reclamio.com, sums it up: “Strikes, organisational incidents, and high passenger volumes feed into complaints. When peak travel coincides with disruptions, such as air traffic control strikes, the likelihood of passengers filing complaints soars.” This summer’s strikes in French air traffic control caused widespread disruption which also affected many Spanish airports.

 

The volume of travellers passing through these airports explains much of the pressure. Madrid finished 2024 with 66.2 million passengers, a post-pandemic record, with Barcelona handling 55 million. Palma de Mallorca, Málaga and Ibiza saw millions more. In the Canaries, Gran Canaria and Tenerife North moved 15.2 million and 6.8 million passengers respectively - remarkable figures for facilities juggling local, mainland and international traffic, and heavily influenced by seasonal tourism.

 

With Spain’s airports breaking passenger records year on year and Aena reporting nearly 310 million travellers in 2024, a 9.2% increase from 2023, the challenges multiplying. More flights and passengers mean more delays, congestion, and operational issues, leading to rising dissatisfaction.

 

However, the situation also reveals the resilience of the system. When things go wrong, Spain’s regulations, authorities and specialist companies like Reclamio work to turn complaints into compensation and improvements. 

 

 

 

Image: Denner Trindade/Pexels