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Flights forced to relocate Palma Airport after a report Freelancer Overview of popular Mallorcan holiday destinations.
On Sunday evening, 19 October, flights at the Balearic Islands’ main aviation hub were temporarily disrupted.
“The sighting of a drone at Palma de Mallorca airport has led to the temporary suspension of operations for safety reasons,” said Spanish air navigation manager Enair. Posted on x Sunday evening, just after 7.20pm CEST.
in a statement to IndependentAnair said several pilots reported seeing a drone in an area near two runways at Palma de Mallorca airport.
It said the protocol for such cases is to halt operations for security reasons while the area is inspected by security forces.
Flight tracking data from Flightradar showed eight changes, including two between 7pm and 7.30pm CEST Ryanair The flights that were diverted to Fiji, while other flights landed in Barcelona and Menorca.
Some flights managed to reach Palma but suffered major delays, such as the Ryanair flight from Edinburgh, which landed 30 minutes after circling the airport.
Departures from Palma Airport were significantly delayed from 6.40pm, affecting the entire evening. A Vueling flight to Seville was also cancelled.
By Monday morning the airport appeared to have recovered from the disruption.
Aena, the Spanish airports group, said in a statement on Monday: “Yesterday evening, Palma de Mallorca Airport had to temporarily suspend incoming flight operations for 35 minutes as a precaution after a drone was detected in the vicinity.
“During that time, eight flights had to be diverted. Once the necessary security checks were completed, normal operations at the airport resumed.”
Following a series of drone-related disruptions at other Spanish airports, Aina has published a statement warning those with drones about safety rules near aircraft.
“Unauthorized and improperly coordinated use of drones around airport facilities poses a very serious threat to aircraft operations,” Aina said.
“Drone operation is not permitted within 8km of airports. Irresponsible use of drones at airports can result in loss of life and fines of up to €225k (£195k),” it says.
The incident occurred a few days after the flights fuerteventura The airport was temporarily halted after a drone flew too close to it.
The delay affected approximately 600 passengers passing through the airport on the morning of Tuesday, October 14.
The Spanish police force Guardia Civil said operations at the airport were halted for more than an hour between 7am and 8.10am after airport staff reportedly saw a drone flying less than a kilometer from the runway.
Dozens of flights were also canceled or diverted Munich Airport earlier this month As a result of an alleged drone sighting, approximately 3,000 passengers were stranded.
After reopening, another suspicious sighting forced the airport to be closed for the second time in 24 hours, affecting 6,500 passengers.
Independent Anna has been contacted for comment.
Read more: Flights diverted after drone flies too close to popular European holiday airport