Voyage - Storm Disruption on Mallorca Leaves Travelers Stranded
Following the severe weather disruption on Tuesday, Palma's airport on Mallorca is attempting to regain normal operations, but numerous tourists are still experiencing distress.
One such group, consisting of individuals from Germany, found their Barcelona-bound flight rerouted on Monday. They experienced no assistance from their travel provider in terms of food or hotel accommodations, leading a Bad Honnef resident to express their frustrations to the German Press Agency. These tourists were left with no choice but to spend the night at the airport. "Six suitcases were stolen from our group. I'm already quite anxious to even stand up and move my belongings away from my sight," said the traveler from Rhineland. The situation became unbearable.
Apart from the Germans, many more people from various countries were left stranded. The regional Mallorcan media outlets reported widely on the affected individuals, but initial numbers on those affected were unavailable. It was estimated that "thousands" of people were impacted. By Wednesday afternoon, there were only occasional delays at Son Sant Joan Airport, according to an airport spokesperson.
Despite the changeable weather, a repeat of the previous day's situation - when the airport was immobilized by water masses for over an hour, and rain leaked through the ceiling of the duty-free shop - seemed improbable. After some morning rain, the afternoon was dry.
The Spanish weather agency, Aemet, predicted a cloudy sky with occasional rain for Palma, but with a low likelihood of local heavy rain. The anxiety for passengers and staff continues. A yellow severe weather warning remained in effect for the southern and southwest of the popular German tourist destination - including Palma and the infamous Ballermann - until 8 p.m. Passengers were advised to monitor upcoming flight changes closely, either through their airlines or on the Aena airport administration portal.
Flights and landings were halted due to the intense rain in the afternoon on Tuesday, resulting in the runways turning into raging streams within minutes. Multiple incoming flights were redirected to Barcelona and Ibiza, and many were canceled altogether. The disruption went beyond just air traffic, causing pandemonium at the airport.
A number of sources described the access roads, parking lots, and parts of the terminal, including the duty-free shop and other stores, as flooded. The duty-free shop was closed on Wednesday. Additionally, there was some flooding at Playa de Palma, as per media reports.
After the chaos had died down, the first reports surfaced. "My wife, my father, and my brother (...) were stuck in the parking garage for three and a half hours," stated Santiago Sánchez in the locally published newspaper "Diario de Mallorca." The family intended to pick him up, who was arriving from Madrid.
Passengers were forced to wait in both the arriving and ready-to-depart planes for hours. While sauntering about the partially flooded terminal, hundreds became lost, and the lines at the taxi stands continued to lengthen. Amidst the chaos, there were a few moments of joy: a video captured an airport employee in a security vest skipping about like a child in knee-high water near a row of gangways.
Tuesday saw minimal rainfall in many areas of Mallorca, despite the advice from the weather service Aemet. Palma experienced nearly 43 liters of water per square meter in the afternoon - equating to around 10% of the annual rainfall typically received by the island. However, the sun was expected to return from Thursday onwards, with no further rain expected.
Read also:
- The severe weather disrupted air traffic at Palma's airport in Mallorca, causing a German group on a Barcelona-bound flight to be rerouted and spend the night at the airport due to lack of assistance.
- Apart from the Germans, many tourists from various countries were left stranded, with initial estimates suggesting that thousands were affected.
- The German Press Agency reported the frustrations of a Bad Honnef resident whose group had six suitcases stolen during their ordeal.
- Despite the challenging weather, a repeat of Tuesday's storm disruption seemed improbable, as the afternoon was mainly dry.
- The Spanish weather agency, Aemet, predicted occasional rain for Palma, with a low likelihood of local heavy rain.
- The disruption affected more than just air traffic, causing flooding around the airport, including at Playa de Palma, which forced the closure of the duty-free shop on Wednesday.
- After the chaos, passengers shared their experiences, such as Santiago Sánchez, who was stuck in a parking garage for three and a half hours in Mallorca.
