A passenger travelling from Girona-Costa Brava Airport to Brussels says he was shouted at by a security agent after asking for instructions in Catalan. The incident happened last Wednesday after he had passed through the scanner and was stopped for an explosives check, according to his account to ARA and a complaint filed with Aena.
The passenger said the baggage inspection agent asked him, “En qué idioma?” to decide how to give directions. When he replied “Català”, he says the agent began shouting. He quoted her as saying, “I am not a call centre where you press five and I speak the language you want!” and, “They don't pay me enough to learn Catalan!”
He told ARA that he did not react to the provocation and that other passengers at the checkpoint did not intervene. The man, an Italian national with Catalan family, said he was upset enough to file a formal complaint with Aena straight away. More Catalonia news
In his complaint, he said: “As an Italian citizen who speaks Catalan but does not speak Spanish very well, I simply replied that I speak Catalan.” Aena’s head of Airport Services and Quality responded by expressing regret and apologising for the situation, and said the case would be reviewed with the security company.
The passenger, who lives in Brussels and says he speaks Italian, English, Catalan and Spanish, said he had flown many times from Girona Airport and had never experienced anything similar. He said he felt angry and annoyed after the exchange, and that he felt as if “three or four people were against me”. His Catalan partner said, “He had never felt discriminated against because of language. Now he knows what it is like to be Catalan.”
The case adds to wider concerns about language rights and customer service at public facilities in Catalonia. Aena said it would take the necessary measures if required after reviewing the security company’s conduct. Girona-Costa Brava Airport and Aena are the main official sources for airport information and operator updates.