A British passenger has complained of lengthy queues at Malaga Airport in what he described as ‘absolute chaos’ at border control overnight.

It came as scores of Brits landed at the travel hub on Friday evening as the summer season gets underway and with England playing in the World Cup on Saturday night.

Despite the predicted uptick in passengers, travellers alleged there were very few staff on call.

Images shared on social media appeared to show long lines of passengers waiting inside the terminal.

One post, shared by X user @ExPatCabby, alleged there was ‘only one Guardia official working’ at the time.

The same user suggested staffing levels had been affected because Spain’s national football team were playing a FIFA World Cup match at 2am local time, though no official explanation has been provided.

‘Absolute chaos last night at AGP Malaga Airport. Thousands were waiting in all queues… What was AENA thinking?’ the post read.

The accompanying photograph shows a packed queue of passengers waiting at the airport, including families with young children.

It is currently unclear exactly how many travellers were affected or how long delays lasted.

The Spanish Eye has contacted Aena and the Guardia Civil for comment.

What passengers should know

Despite the complaints, Malaga Airport has generally been coping well with record passenger numbers this year, with the vast majority of travellers passing through without major disruption.

Delays are most likely during peak periods, particularly early morning departures, late evening arrivals and busy weekends, when multiple flights land or depart within a short space of time.

For departing passengers, queues are typically longest at the security screening area, especially during the first wave of morning flights, and again at passport control.

For arriving passengers from outside the Schengen Area, the biggest bottleneck is usually passport control, where travellers can experience longer waits during busy periods.

The airport’s gradual rollout of the Entry/Exit System (EES) has so far been largely smooth, although passengers should expect processing times to increase temporarily when several international flights arrive together.

To minimise delays, passengers are advised to:

• Arrive at the airport well in advance of their flight.
• Have passports and travel documents ready before reaching passport control.
• Follow airline guidance on cabin baggage to help speed up security screening.
• Allow extra time if travelling during weekends, school holidays or peak summer periods.

While isolated congestion can occur, particularly during operational issues or staffing shortages, long queues remain the exception rather than the norm at Malaga Airport.

Read more Andalucia news at the Spanish Eye.