Airports: UK tourists warned as Adolfo Suarez Madrid-Barajas is the worst airport in Europe for losing luggage

A new study has unveiled the worst airport in Europe for losing the most luggage. According to research by Reclaimo, which specialises in air passenger complaints, an airport in one of Spain's most popular holiday hotspots lost the most luggage in Europe last year.

Adolfo Suarez Madrid-Barajas airport was the worst culprit in Europe for losing travellers' suitcases in 2023. Some 26.5% of all complaints received by the company in 2023 originated from the gateway to Spain’s capital which was used by over 60 million passengers that year.

The airport, commonly known as Madrid–Barajas Airport, is the main international airport serving Madrid, the capital city of Spain. It is the second-largest airport in Europe by physical size behind Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport.

Spain's second busiest airport, Barcelona-El Prat, was responsible for 13.2% of all claims handled by Reclamio. Lisbon's Humerto Delgado airport came in third place at 5.8%, while 2.7% of Reclaimo's lost luggage complaints hailed from Paris Orly and 2.4% came from Palma de Mallorca.

Spanish news site Murcia Today advises tourists whose suitcases don't arrive in Spain at the same time they do to complete a Baggage Irregularity Report (PIR). It also advises UK holidaymakers to submit a claim with the airline's customer service department.

It is not all bad news for UK travellers heading to Spain, as Reclaimo says that 97% of passengers whose luggage was lost last year got their bags back within two days. For those whose suitcases remained missing for longer, compensation could exceed 1,500 euros, as per EU law.

A way of tracking your luggage while travelling abroad is to place a luggage GPS tracker in your suitcase which shows you the location of your bag on your mobile phone. It can help airports and airlines to find missing suitcases and return them to you faster.