Flights at Palma de Mallorca airport in Mallorca, Spain, were suspended on Tuesday due to a sudden storm that flooded the runways. Video footage captured water gushing through the airport terminal's roof, while photos showed floodwaters nearly reaching the bottom of plane engines.
The airport operator, AENA, stated that operations were 'temporarily suspended' as flooding affected part of the facility. Spain's state weather service, AEMET, reported that 71.8 millimeters of rain fell at the airport station in just four hours, marking the first rainfall in a week.
An AENA spokesperson later confirmed that flights were halted for two hours on Wednesday, impacting 100 out of 900 scheduled flights for the day. Fortunately, the airport has since resumed normal operations.
Palma de Mallorca airport is the third busiest in Spain, welcoming over 31 million passengers in 2023, reflecting an 8.9% increase from the previous year, according to AENA data.
Mallorca, situated in Spain's Balearic Islands in the Mediterranean, boasts a warm climate year-round and numerous beaches, making it a favored destination for tourists from across Europe.
In recent news, authorities in the Balearic Islands announced stricter regulations on public drinking and party boats to address issues of 'excess tourism.' The updated rules prohibit public drinking in designated tourist areas on Ibiza and Mallorca, with exceptions for licensed terraces. Violations of the new regulations may incur fines ranging from €500 to €1,500 ($540-$1,615).
Furthermore, party boats selling alcohol onboard are now restricted from operating within one nautical mile of the affected areas outlined in the decree. Boarding or disembarking passengers in these restricted zones is also prohibited.
