Drone Alarm, Fuel Stop, and Jürgen Milski on Mallorca's Plan-B

A drone alarm on Sunday evening caused chaos at Palma airport: planes circled, a Eurowings aircraft had to divert to Menorca to refuel — and a Ballermann star finally took the stage on time.

When the pilot delivered the news, it went quiet

Sunday evening, a mild autumn sky over Mallorca and suddenly radio silence in the flight schedule: Palma Airport was temporarily closed for safety reasons. Many aircraft held in holding patterns, some were diverted. Among the passengers aboard a Eurowings aircraft sat Jürgen Milski – known on the island, familiar with early sound checks and late returns.

Between Cala Rajada and Cala Millor: circles instead of landings

According to the cabin crew, the aircraft circled about 20 minutes over the northeast of the island, roughly between Cala Rajada and Cala Millor. No drama, some say, but certainly unpleasant: The fuel indicator slipped into the red, and the captain announced that for safety they would have to divert to Menorca to refuel.

In Menorca everything went routine. A short ground stop, refueling, a cup of coffee in the cabin — as fellow passengers describe it. Despite the unexpected stop, the mood remained halfway relaxed, halfway nervous: You can feel when the pilot is serious, said a woman who sat next to me, and I happened to be on the way home and chatted.

Stage or boarding?

For Milski there was more at stake than just a flight: a performance at Bierkönig on Playa de Palma. After the fuel stop the plane continued the planned route and finally landed in Palma with about an hour's delay. At 11 p.m. however he was — as far as one could tell from the audience — already on stage. He himself later commented on the evening in social media with dry humor and a smiling emoji. Humanly, I probably would have needed a schnapps first.

What the authorities say

Enaire, the Spanish air traffic controller, described the proceeding as a pure precaution: A drone was sighted near the runway, therefore takeoffs and landings were suspended for about 30–35 minutes. Safety comes first, even if it caused inconvenience for thousands of travelers.

Such incidents show how sensitive air traffic is. A tiny device in the sky — and an entire system is restructured. For most the evening ended with an anecdote, for others with missed connections. And for Milski? Another evening he will surely remember for a long time. Me too. And if you are at the Playa next week: ask him about the fuel stop. He will surely tell it with a grin.