(UTC+1)
Airport

Barcelona Airport Security Wait Times Barcelona Airport Live Security Wait Times

IATA Code:

BCN

Timezone:

UTC/GMT +1:00 hours

Airport local time:

Friday, 6:30pm

Activity: Busy
Current conditions

Live Airport Status

Current wait times, updates and terminal information for this airport.


Wait times are steady
Updated today, Friday 6 November 2026
6:19 PM (UTC/GMT +1:00 hours)
Add Your Time
  • Data

    Qsensor makes use of data from Barcelona 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

    6:19 PM (UTC/GMT +1:00 hours)

Terminal level wait times

  • airplane
    All Terminals
    10 mins wait time
  • airplane
    Terminal Control de seguridad Corredor Barcelona-Madrid
    Queues: 1
    1 mins wait time
  • airplane
    Terminal Filtros de seguridad
    Queues: 1
    18 mins wait time
Plan ahead

Forecasts, historical patterns and guidance to help plan your airport arrival.

Latest Airport Arrival Time
Domestic 1h 25m before departure
International 1h 46m before departure
How we calculated this

Bag drop closes 45-60 min before departure. With an estimated 25 min bag drop queue, you need to arrive at the desk 70-85 min early. After that, allow 4 min for security (avg on Fridays) and 12 min to walk to your gate, which closes 15-20 min before departure. Finally, add a 15 min buffer.

How Busy
Is the Airport?

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

As busy as usual (22 flights vs 30 avg)
12 am
1 am
2 am
3 am
4 am
5 am
6 am
7 am
8 am
9 am
10 am
11 am
12 pm
1 pm
2 pm
3 pm
4 pm
5 pm
6 pm
7 pm
8 pm
9 pm
10 pm
11 pm
Not busy
A bit busy
Busy
Very busy

What Will the Wait Time Be?

Pick a day and time to see the typical wait, based on historical data.

— min typical wait

Wait Times by Day of Week

Average wait times based on the last 3 weeks of data.

4m
Mon
4m
Tue
4m
Wed
4m
Thu
5m
Fri
4m
Sat
4m
Sun

Wait times today, hour by hour

Actual readings recorded so far today.
Current: 10 min (Longer wait than usual: avg wait time is 6 min)

Best & Worst Times to Fly

Based on historical security wait times and flight delays across all days of the week.

Best Time
Early Morning
4am - 8am
4 min avg wait
3 min avg flight delay
Worst Time
Morning
8am - 12pm
8 min avg wait
10 min avg flight delay
Flying in the Early Morning instead of Morning could save you up to 4 minutes in security lines and 7 minutes in flight delays.
Live departures

Flight Status

Check scheduled departures, destinations and reported delays for this airport.

--
avg delay (min)
Updated today, Friday 6 November 2026
-- --
On Time (0-15 min)
Delayed (16-45 min)
Severely Delayed (>45 min)
LIVE

Flight status will load as you approach this section.

Flight Delays

Average departure delays by hour, based on the last 2 weeks of flight data.

Current: 6 min (Similar to usual: avg wait time is 10 min)

Barcelona–El Prat Airport (BCN) Guide

Josep Tarradellas Barcelona–El Prat Airport (BCN), locally known simply as “El Prat,” is the primary gateway to Catalonia. Located 15 kilometers southwest of Barcelona, it is the second-busiest airport in Spain and a major European hub. For the traveller, the airport is defined by its two distinct terminals, which are 4 kilometers apart and function almost as separate airports. Terminal 1 (T1) is the sleek, modern hub for major international carriers and Vueling. Terminal 2 (T2) is the historic terminal, now serving as the base for low-cost carriers like Ryanair and easyJet. Understanding which terminal you need is the single most important step in navigating BCN.

Barcelona Airport FAQ

Barcelona Airport is currently Busy based on real-time flight departure data.

Yes, the current Security queue at Barcelona Airport is approximately 10 minutes. The airport is currently busy. Check the live data on this page for the latest queue times.

It currently takes approximately 10 minutes to get through Security at Barcelona Airport. Wait times vary by time of day and day of week — check the hourly chart on this page for the full breakdown.

Security wait times at Barcelona Airport vary throughout the day. Check the historical wait time chart on this page to find the quietest times.

Flights from Barcelona Airport are running close to normal today, with an average delay of 6 minutes — typical for this time on Fridays.

The official name is Josep Tarradellas Barcelona–El Prat Airport (BCN). It is commonly referred to as “El Prat.” It is located approximately 15 km southwest of Barcelona city center.

There are two main terminals, Terminal 1 (T1) and Terminal 2 (T2), located 4 km apart.

  • Terminal 1 (T1): The newer, larger terminal. Used by major international airlines (Air France, British Airways, Delta, Lufthansa, United) and hub carriers like Vueling and Iberia.
  • Terminal 2 (T2): The older terminal, divided into T2A, T2B, and T2C. Primarily used by low-cost carriers like Ryanair, Wizz Air, and easyJet (easyJet specifically operates from T2C).

A free green shuttle bus runs between the terminals 24 hours a day.

  • Frequency: Every 5–10 minutes (less frequent at night).
  • Travel Time: The ride runs every 5-10 minutes and takes about 10–15 minutes.
  • Tip: You must exit the building to take this bus; it runs “landside.” Always allow at least 30–45 minutes total to switch terminals.

The Aerobús (Lines A1 for T1, A2 for T2) is the most popular choice. It takes about 35 minutes to reach Plaça de Catalunya. Buses run 24/7, every 5–10 minutes, and feature Wi-Fi and USB chargers. Tickets cost ~€7.45 one-way.

No. This is a common mistake. The standard 10-trip T-casual ticket is not valid for the L9 Sud Metro stations at the airport (Aeroport T1 and Aeroport T2). You must buy a special “Airport Ticket” (~€5.70) to enter or exit these stations.

The train station is located only at Terminal 2. If you arrive at T1, you must take the free shuttle bus to T2 to catch the train. It connects to Barcelona Sants and Passeig de Gràcia (not Plaça de Catalunya directly). It is the cheapest option if you use a T-casual card.

Rideshare apps pick up in designated VTC (Vehículos de Turismo con Conductor) zones, not at the standard taxi rank.

  • Terminal 1: Follow signs for parking/VTC, typically found on the lower arrivals level or parking G.
  • Terminal 2: Look for the VTC area signs outside the arrivals hall.

Because the shuttle bus connects the terminals outside the secure zone, transferring from T1 to T2 (or vice versa) requires you to clear immigration, enter Spain, and re-clear security. If you are a non-EU citizen who requires a visa to enter the Schengen area, you cannot switch terminals without one, even if your bags are checked through.

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Guides for this airport

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Security Wait Times

Live TSA, CATSA, and security checkpoint wait times by terminal and queue, with historical patterns to help you pick the best time to arrive.

Updates every 5–15 minutes from official feeds and crowdsourced reports
Per-terminal and per-queue breakdowns
Historical charts showing quietest times to fly

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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 a modelled projection, combined with crowdsourced data.

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.

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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 some airports, Qsensor utilises its proprietary queue modelling technology to project wait times. Additionally, we crowdsource data from passengers who have input their wait time using the “Add Your 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 140 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 12 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 OHare, Gatwick, Heathrow, Barcelona and more.

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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.

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