Flooding at Palma de Mallorca Airport Leads to 119 Cancelled Flights

Following severe weather on June 11, Palma de Mallorca Airport (PMI) experienced significant disruptions, leading to over 100 flights being delayed, canceled, or diverted. The situation, however, normalized on June 12 as the rainfall reduced significantly.

Heavy rainfall caused severe flooding in Palma de Mallorca, affecting both the city and the airport. Videos circulated on social media platforms showed extensive flooding. The Spanish State Meteorological Agency reported that PMI received 71.8 millimeters (7.8 inches) of rain on June 11. By 12:30 local time on June 12, the airport had only accumulated 8.9 mm (0.35 inches) of rain.

Flight disruptions were widespread. On June 11, 38 flights were diverted from PMI. Ryanair, the most affected airline, diverted nine flights. Vueling and Eurowings each diverted eight flights, while Smartwings and Lauda Europe diverted four flights each. Most of these flights were rerouted to Valencia Airport, Mahon Menorca Airport, and Barcelona El Prat Airport. Some flights diverted to other airports, including easyJet’s flight to Manchester and Eurowings’ flight to Düsseldorf.

Flight cancellations were also significant. On June 11, there were 42 canceled departures and 39 canceled arrivals at PMI. Eurowings canceled the most flights, totaling 27, followed by Ryanair with 24 cancellations. On June 12, the situation improved, with only three commercial flights being canceled: one Vueling departure and two arrivals (one from Vueling and one from easyJet). Some private jet itineraries were also abandoned.

Data from aviation analytics company Cirium indicated that in June 2024, airlines scheduled 2,842 weekly flights to PMI, with 396 flights on Tuesdays and 405 on Wednesdays. For departures, PMI had 2,839 weekly flights, with 395 on Tuesdays and 404 on Wednesdays.

Despite the extensive flight disruptions, passengers might not receive compensation due to EU Regulation 261/2004, which exempts airlines from compensating passengers for cancellations or delays caused by extraordinary circumstances, such as severe weather.