People will abandon cars anywhere and Málaga airport is no exception. AENA, the airport authority, believes there are currently around 70 vehicles within the airport area which have been ‘parked’ there for one year.
In 2008, AENA reported finding 72 vehicles which had been parked for two years, gathering dust and decaying by the week.
Attempts are made to locate owners and vehicles are towed away, but it is not a simple task. Nothing can be done for at least six months because there are quite a number of people who do actually leave their cars parked for such long periods. They are usually people who travel a lot, often leaving Málaga for many months at a time before returning.
Once a car has been declared a ‘derelict’ according to the law, details are then published in the Provincial Gazette (BOP) and owners have 15 days to claim their vehicle.
Owners of abandoned vehicles who are traced do face a hefty parking bill, one year being €5,000 based on the daily parking rate.
Another dilemma for AENA is that the act of scrapping a vehicle results in solid municipal waste, not the ideal scenario.