Airport Airport

MAD Madrid Barajas Airport

IATA Code:

MAD

Timezone:

UTC/GMT +1:00 hours

Airport local time:

Monday, 9:49am

A bit busy

Last Updated:
9:40 AM (UTC/GMT +1:00 hours)2026-02-23
  • Data

    Qsensor makes use of data from Madrid Barajas Airport.

  • Disclaimer

    Waiting times may not accurately reflect your experience. It is advisable to arrive at the airport well in advance and follow the recommendations of the airlines and airports.

  • Airport Last Updated

    9:40 AM (UTC/GMT +1:00 hours)2026-02-23

Live Terminal Data

Get real-time security wait times and terminal-specific information.

  • Real-time wait times
  • Terminal comparisons
  • Total average

The average wait time at 9 am at this airport is 3 minutes

Current: 3 min (Similar to usual: avg is 3 min)

Historical Wait Time Trends

Analyse security wait time patterns over time to plan your perfect arrival.

  • Trend analysis
  • Peak time identification
  • Weekday breakdown

How Busy
Is the Airport?

Based on live and historical flight patterns. Tap a bar to see details.

As busy as usual (27 flights vs 32 avg)
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Smart Arrival Recommendations

Suggestions for optimal airport arrival times based on current conditions.

  • Personalised timing
  • Airport traffic considerations
  • Security wait factors
Recommended Airport Arrival Time
Domestic Flights 2h 0m before departure
International Flights 3h 0m before departure
Based on current average 3 min wait time at this airport

Best & Worst Travel Times

Discover the optimal times to fly through this airport based on historical security wait patterns.

  • Lowest wait time periods
  • Peak hours to avoid
  • Time savings insights
  • Day-specific recommendations

Best & Worst Times to Fly

Based on historical security wait times for Monday

Best Time
Night
9pm - 5am
3 min avg
Worst Time
Morning
8am - 12pm
4 min avg
Flying in the Night instead of Morning could save you up to 1 minutes in security lines.
Last Updated:
-- --

Flight Delays

Current: 1 min (Lower than usual: avg is 19 min)

Flight Status

On Time (0-15 min)
Delayed (16-45 min)
Severely Delayed (>45 min)

Select a day to view flight status

Madrid-Barajas Airport Overview (MAD)

As the primary gateway to Spain and the bridge between Europe and Latin America, Madrid-Barajas is a giant of global aviation. However, for first-time visitors, it can feel like two completely different airports operating under one code. The airport is physically divided into two separate major complexes located several kilometers apart: The legacy terminals (T1, T2, T3), these interconnected buildings host SkyTeam (Delta, Air Europa), Star Alliance (Lufthansa, United), and major low-cost carriers like Ryanair. The modern hub (T4 & T4 Satellite), it is the exclusive fortress for Iberia and Oneworld partners (American Airlines, British Airways).

Madrid Barajas Airport FAQ

Madrid Barajas Airport is currently A bit busy based on real-time flight departure data.

The current Security wait time at Madrid Barajas Airport is approximately 3 minutes.

The best time to go through Security at Madrid Barajas Airport is Night (9pm - 5am) with an average wait of 3 minutes. Subscribe to premium to see the worst time to fly.

Madrid operates by airline alliance rather than destination.

  • Terminal 4 & 4S: Exclusive home of Iberia and Oneworld partners (American Airlines, British Airways, Qatar Airways, LATAM).
  • Terminal 1: Used by SkyTeam (Delta, Air Europa Long-Haul), Ryanair, EasyJet, and most long-haul international carriers (United, Air Canada, Etihad).
  • Terminal 2: Used by Star Alliance (Lufthansa, Swiss) and Air Europa (Schengen/Domestic flights).
  • Terminal 3: Mostly used as an extension of Terminal 2.

No. Terminal 4 is located several kilometers away from the T1-T2-T3 complex. There are no sidewalks connecting them. You must take the Green Shuttle Bus (free) which runs 24/7 from the departures/arrivals curbs. Allow at least 40 minutes for this transfer (bus wait + travel time + walking).

Yes. T4S (Satellite) is a separate island building reachable only by an underground automated train (APM) from the main T4 building.

  • The Process: You must check in at T4 Main, clear security, take the elevators to Level -2, board the train (3-5 mins), and then clear Passport Control in T4S.
  • Time Warning: From the T4 security checkpoint to a gate in T4S, it takes 30–45 minutes. Do not underestimate this transfer.

Taxis have a mandatory Flat Rate (Tarifa Fija) of €33.00 for all trips between the airport and locations within the M-30 ring road (which includes almost all tourist hotels). No supplements for bags or night hours can be added to this rate.

The Train (Cercanías) is cheaper at €2.60 (and free if you have an AVE high-speed train ticket). The Metro (Line 8) costs between €4.50 and €5.00 because of a mandatory €3 Airport Supplement.

Select the network “AIRPORT FREE WIFI AENA”. You must open your browser and register via email or social media login to get free access. It is unlimited and relatively fast.

For a faster experience, you can purchase a security fast track pass online. The pass is valid for 7 days, and children under 5 are admitted for free when accompanied by an adult pass holder.

  • Terminal 1: Open from 6:00 am to midnight and is located in the check-in area.
  • Terminal 2: The lane is found in the departures area and operates from 5:00 am to 9:00 pm. In the bustling Terminal 4, the Fast Track is in the check-in area and is open from 5:00 am to midnight.

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Security and Customs Wait Times

Security, passport control and customs checkpoint wait times updated regularly. Plan your arrival time and avoid long queues with data from TSA and airport security systems.

Real-time live data from the airport
Airport terminal and checkpoints
Historical trends and patterns

Flight Status

Comprehensive flight status tracking with frequent updates and historical averages. Get insights into flight on-time performance and make better travel decisions. Please note, this feature is not available for all airports, we're adding more all the time!

Flight status and delay minutes
2-week rolling averages by day
Search by flight number

Airport Busyness

Prepare yourself for the crowds before you arrive at the airport. The airport busyness calculator is based on current and historical flight patterns throughout the day.

Current airport busyness
Frequently updated
Current vs historical comparison

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Qsensor FAQ

Live data: For the majority of the airports we track we use live data from the airport. For the remaining airports we provide an estimate, and we communicate that it’s a best-guess only.

Search: By airport name, IATA code, city, county, country or region. To save you time, we keep your last visited airports on the front page. If you can’t find an airport, contact us using the contact form and we will look to add it. 

Current average wait time: The airport’s latest average security, passport control or customs queue wait time. If the airport has multiple queues, we display the average of them. If you want a more granular view that includes wait times for individual queues, take a look at the terminal level wait times. We regularly update each airport’s data,  but make sure you click the “i” icon to check when the last update was made.

Terminal level wait times: The latest security or customs queue wait time for individual terminals. Click on the terminal to access more information at the terminal level. Please note that this data is not available for all airports. We are working to expand this functionality to as many airports as possible.

Historical wait times: The typical wait time on different days and times over the past 2 weeks. Click the filter at the top right of the graph to cycle through the days of the week.

Add a security or customs queue wait time: How was your airport security experience? Contribute to the community by inputting your wait time. This feature is only available for airports where Qsensor does not automatically track data. To add a wait time, simply click the “Add Your Time” button on the airports page and follow the instructions.

add time button

Please note that this data is monitored and may be modified or deleted if found to be invalid.

Click the “i” icon to view and take note of more contextual information on each airport. “Airport Last Updated” denotes the last time the data was refreshed.

Our sources for wait time data vary and may include air travel data aggregators, federal agencies such as the TSA, CATSA CBP, or information from the airport and its affiliated service providers. For airports Qsensor does not track automatically, we source data from passengers that have inputted their wait time using the “Add Wait Time” button.

Qsensor is not affiliated with any airport, airline, or associated service provider.

We regularly check queue times and flight delays for accuracy, however all times are estimates and waiting times and delays may not accurately reflect your experience. It is advisable to arrive at the airport well in advance and follow the recommendations of the airlines and airports.

There are a wide array of ways that queue data is measured. Including but not limited to looking at how long a passenger takes to get from scanning their boarding pass to exiting the security or customs area. Auditing passengers on how long it took them to pass through security or customs as well as Qsensors’ proprietary system for user added wait times. 

For airport wait times, we currently support over 110 airports worldwide. Whether it be London Heathrow, Istanbul, or Miami – we have got you covered. More are added all the time. Is Qsensor missing an airport that you want to be supported? We are more than happy to accommodate your request, get in touch via the contact form. 

For flight delays and cancellations, we currently support 7 airports, with the goal of expanding coverage going forwards.

Qsensor automatically tracks wait times for a variety of airports including London Heathrow, Frankfurt, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta, Chicago O’Hare, Amsterdam Schiphol, Kempegowda Bangalore, Madrid Barajas, Hong Kong, Istanbul, and many more!

For flight delays and cancellations, we track Gatwick, Heathrow, Barcelona and more.

Qsensor is available in English, German, Italian, Greek, Spanish, French, Polish, Portuguese, Japanese, Chinese and Arabic.

Send the request via the contact form below:

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Make sure you include the name of the airport and its IATA code in your request!

The flight delay tracker gives you a comprehensive view of flight status delays, both for the current day and historically on a per flight basis. Tap on a weekday to see all flights that have historically taken off on that day and their typical delay over the past two weeks. You can also search for your flight using your flight number and view the airport’s average delay.

Get insights into flight on-time performance and make better travel decisions. Please note, this feature is not available for all airports, but we’re adding more all the time!

To keep wait times relevant, the message “There is currently no data for this airport.” is shown when no traveller has recently inputted a wait time.

add time button

For airports Qsensor automatically tracks, this message may also be shown if we haven’t recently gotten data from the airport. This typically rectifies itself within 12 hours.

If you have a suggestion for an airport you want to be tracked or a feature added, share it via the contact form.

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This FAQ section is updated periodically, please check back for updates. This FAQ was last updated on the 14th of September, 2025.

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