Spain flights hit by hours of delays after Bristol runway defect

Passengers flying between Bristol and Spain are being urged to check their flight before travelling as delays of nearly five hours continue following an overnight runway closure.

The runway has reopened, but the disruption is far from over

Bristol Airport has reopened after a runway defect brought all operations to a halt for approximately 14 hours, but serious knock-on delays are continuing across several popular Spanish holiday routes. 

Flights were suspended at around 6pm on Friday August 7 while the affected section of runway was inspected and repaired. Departures were cancelled, passengers were left stranded and incoming flights were diverted to other UK airports, including Cardiff, Birmingham and Gatwick. Operations finally resumed at 8am on Saturday, two hours later than initially expected.

“Flights have resumed at Bristol Airport this morning. There will be some disruption to some flights today,” the airport said in an updated statement.

However, the airport has not revealed exactly what caused the defect or how extensive the emergency repairs were. Passengers should expect some disruption to flight times following the issues as aircraft and crews are now out of position, leaving delays stretching well into Saturday evening.

Which flights between Bristol and Spain are delayed?

The official Bristol Airport departures board showed significant disruption when checked shortly after 10.30am UK time on Saturday. The 7:25am Jet2 flight to Palma had been pushed back to 12:20pm, a delay of four hours and 55 minutes. Other affected departures included:

• Jet2 to Reus: 11:40am moved to 2:40pm
• Ryanair to Málaga: 1:05pm moved to 4:10pm
• Jet2 to Almería: 4:25pm moved to 5:50pm
• Jet2 to Ibiza: 5:40pm moved to 8:35pm
• Jet2 to Palma: 6:55pm moved to 10:45pm

There were also substantial delays for passengers returning from Spain. The 1:05pm arrival from Palma was not expected until 5:50pm, while a Jet2 service from Alicante had moved from 12:50pm to 4pm. Arrivals from Girona, Murcia, Barcelona, Málaga, Lanzarote, Tenerife, Reus and Almería were also showing delays of varying lengths.

Not every Spain service has been affected, and some morning flights departed after the runway reopened. However, timings are changing throughout the day and later services could still be caught in the backlog. All times shown are local UK times.

What should passengers do now?

Anyone due to fly to or from Bristol on Saturday should check directly with their airline before setting off and continue monitoring their booking even if their flight is not currently marked as delayed. Passengers should not assume that check-in will remain tied to the original departure time. Jet2 has said its check-in desks will open later for delayed services and close 40 minutes before the revised departure, but travellers with other airlines should follow the instructions provided specifically for their flight.

Those collecting passengers at Bristol should also check the live arrivals board before starting their journey.

If a delay qualifies for assistance, the airline must provide appropriate food and drink and, where an overnight stay becomes necessary, accommodation and transport. If the airline has not arranged this, passengers should keep receipts for reasonable expenses.

Fixed compensation is less certain because it depends on the cause of the disruption and whether it was within the airline’s control. A runway defect may be treated as an extraordinary circumstance, although airlines must assess each claim individually.