- Stranded Travelers Experiences Grounding in Menorca at Palma Airport
The smaller Balearic island of Menorca was greatly impacted by intense weather disturbances**. Specifically in the heart of the island within the municipality of Es Mercadal, dwellings, pathways, and farming lands were submerged, as stated by the newspaper "Última Hora".
More than 200 liters of precipitation per square meter were recorded there within a few hours on Thursday. In certain instances, individuals sought refuge on the rooftops of their flooded homes.
The law enforcement disseminated a video displaying several individuals and their pets being airlifted by helicopter from a flat rooftop. In the city of Alaior, vehicles were carried away by the floodwaters. No casualties were reported due to numerous alerts about the weather phenomenon.
Mallorca relatively unaffected
Mallorca, the largest island of the Balearics, was less impacted by the weather disturbance than anticipated. Heavy rainfall also occurred there, culminating in temporary flooding of streets, like in the city of Sóller in the northwest of the island. However, the highest alert level declared by the national weather service Aemet was promptly lifted.
This was little relief for numerous returning travelers at Palma airport. Due to the weather disturbances that battered the Balearics on Wednesday and Thursday, numerous flights were terminated - 40 alone on Wednesday.
Some travelers were left stranded at the airport and spent the night on the floor, as reported by the German-language island newspapers "Mallorca Zeitung" and "Mallorca-Magazin".
For instance, a family of five with an infant from Oberhausen was informed by the airline Eurowings that they might only be able to return to Germany on Monday evening, as reported by "Mallorca Zeitung". And not as scheduled to Düsseldorf, but to Berlin, and from there by connecting flight to the actual destination Düsseldorf. Similar experiences were also reported by travelers of other airlines.
Additional flights cannot meet return demand
The airline Eurowings admitted regret over travelers' inconvenience and was making every effort to get the passengers home as quickly as possible. Due to the thunderstorm front over the Balearics, numerous flights had to be canceled on Wednesday and Thursday, the company said.
Even though 15 additional flights from and to Mallorca were organized, this did not meet the entire return demand, given that this weekend also marked the end of the summer holidays in North Rhine-Westphalia.
The rescue operations in Es Mercadal were conducted by the helicopters dispatched by the law enforcement. Despite the weather disturbances, many travelers were still stranded at Palma airport, hoping for helicopter flights back to the mainland.
