El Prat airport is being secured with controls to enter the terminals

El Prat de LlobregatLong before reaching the usual security checkpoint, a long queue of passengers forms at the terminal doors, confused as to why they can't enter. Private security guards are checking tickets from everyone trying to get into El Prat Airport. This is a new measure that Aena has just implemented to better control who enters the airport throughout the day, according to ARA. On Friday morning, the busiest day of a long weekend with more than 3,600 flights scheduled at El Prat, access to Terminal 1 was only possible through one door on the departures level. There were bottlenecks, such as when passengers disembarked from the Aerobus and, growing anxious, realized they would still have to go through security. The other doors were closed, and it was necessary to go to the central entrance to gain access. On other days of the week, the side door near the Aerobús stop was opened.

Aena has also implemented a similar checkpoint on the arrivals level of Terminal 1 for passengers arriving by car or metro. Security agents from the company I-SEC follow the same procedure as on the upper level, but here they more frequently encounter people picking up family members and allow them to pass. These checks are not yet being carried out in Terminal 2.

The measure has been in place for three weeks, but it has become increasingly restrictive as the days have passed, especially this week. Taxi drivers were among the first groups to encounter this new control, without having been notified. "It's worked out very well for us in keeping out touts and unlicensed taxi drivers," explains Tito Álvarez, spokesperson for Élite Taxi, the most representative association of the sector in the metropolitan area. Since then, all taxi drivers wishing to pick up passengers must present security officers with the customer's details, their flight information, and their taxi license.

Unions like UGT in Catalonia say the main reason for these new controls is to prevent pickpockets and homeless people from entering the airport. However, police sources indicate that the airport's current crime situation is completely different from that of a year ago, when crime peaked, reports [report/information missing]. Cesc MaideuThe increased police presence and intensified patrols have led to an approximately 80% decrease in crime, mostly thefts. Furthermore, the same sources indicate a significant drop in the number of homeless people sleeping at the facility: from around 180 to approximately 40.

The CCOO union in Catalonia adds that the limited number of exits on the departures level may be violating evacuation regulations. Besides the resulting passenger queues, the union is concerned about the extra time workers are spending getting to their jobs.