Wash-out at Mallorca airports

Palma airport and Son Bonet both hit hard

Image of a worker at Palma airport taking a dip in the large ‘swimming pool’ that the handling area has become after the storm on Tuesday. | Última hora

Jason Moorepalma12/06/2024 09:44

The weather gods were not smiling on Palma airport or the smaller Son Bonet aerodrome on Tuesday afternoon as they were both hit by freak storms. Palma airport actually closed for about an hour after the main terminal building became flooded, leaving passengers stranded on aircraft and rushing for cover within the terminal. According to Palma Met Office this was a record amount of rainfall for June.

According to the Palma Met Office (AEMET) 74 litres of rain per square fell at the airport, with about 46 litres in a single hour which caused much of the flooding. At Son Bonet, which is used by private aircraft and helicopters, 18 litres of rain fell.

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Palma airport and Son Bonet were the two places with the most rainfall in Mallorca on Tuesday afternoon causing problems for air traffic, especially at Palma airport. Escorca, Lluc, Andratx, Sant Telmo, Banyalbufar and Manacor all recorded heavy rainfall.

A spokesperson at Palma airport said this morning that things had now returned to normal although the clean-up operation was ongoing. On Tuesday afternoon a number of flights were diverted to other airports. One airport worker could be seen "diving into the rain water" in a video posted on social media.

The storm had been forecast by the Palma Met Office and today more rain is expected before a gradual improvement on Thursday.