Airplanes halted due to abrupt storm causing water logging at Spanish airfield
Inside the airport terminal, video footage displays water rushing through the ceiling. Photos indicate floodwater nearly touching plane engines' bottom. On Tuesday, operations ceased for a temporary period due to the roaring water's impact on a section of the facility, according to AENA, the airport operator.
AEMET, the Spanish state weather service, recorded 71.8mm of rainfall at their weather station near the airport in a mere four hours, the first time it has rained in a week.
An AENA representative informed CNN that flights were delayed for two hours, disrupting 100 out of 900 scheduled flights for the day. The airport has since commenced full operations, the representative added.
The third busiest airport in Spain, it accommodated over 31 million travelers in 2023, with an impressive 8.9% increase in comparison to the previous year's figures.
Situated in Spain's Balearic Islands in the Mediterranean, Mallorca boasts a relatively warm environment throughout the year and features an abundance of beaches. This makes it an alluring destination for tourists all across Europe.
Earlier in May, officials in Balearic islands created stricter regulations against public drinking and party boats as part of an update to the 2020 decree managing "excess tourism."
These amended regulations prohibit drinking in main streets in prominent tourist sites on the islands of Ibiza and Mallorca, permitting only licensed areas and terraces. Fines for non-compliance will be between €500 and €1,500 ($540-$1,615).
In addition, party boats selling alcohol on board are forbidden from approaching the areas mentioned in the decree. Disembarking or embarking passengers are also forbidden in those specific areas.
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