Malaga Airport Chaos As Almost 40 Flights Are Diverted

THE effects of Storm Aline, have resulted in significant disruption at Malaga Airport, with crosswinds and gusts reaching speeds of up to 92 kph.

On Thursday, October 19, Malaga Airport initially welcomed incoming flights diverted from other locations. However, by 6:30 pm the situation had changed completely due to escalating wind speeds, according to El Español De Malaga.

The majority of flights scheduled to land were postponed, and nearly 40 were rerouted. Some pilots had to abort their landings while others didn’t even attempt the procedure.

Challenging Weather Conditions

‘You have to be very patient,’ air traffic controllers posted via their official Twitter account, highlighting the challenging conditions at Malaga Airport. They reported crosswinds and gusts of up to 50 knots, with 92 km/h gusts as Storm Aline loomed, preventing planes from approaching the runway.

Delayed Departures And Cancellations

Despite initial indications, most evening departures experienced delays. A few, including the 9:00 pm Ryanair flight to Porto and the 9:10 pm Melilla Airlines flight to Madrid, were cancelled. Diversions included airports in Madrid, Barcelona, Sevilla, Granada, Almeria, Alicante, Valencia, and Jerez de la Frontera.

Yesterday morning, five diverted flights had landed at Malaga Airport. Primarily due to adverse weather conditions at their scheduled destinations. Three UK flights bound for Gibraltar, two by Easyjet from London-Gatwick and Manchester, and one from British Airways from London-Heathrow, were rerouted to the Costa del Sol.

Additionally, a Lufthansa flight from Frankfurt to Sevilla landed in Malaga due to strong wind and rain which has engulfed the Iberian Peninsula. Reportedly, a United flight from Washington Dulles to Lisbon was diverted to Malaga because of a technical issue.