Major flooding in Palma's airport terminal after a faulty line.

Water floods terminal – morning traffic disrupted

In the early morning of September 25, chaos briefly broke out at Palma Airport. Around 7:40 a.m., a massive rise in water occurred in the Terminal C area. An employee driving a mobility buggy for passengers with reduced mobility apparently collided with a pipe of the fire protection system. The result: water shot from the connection and flooded the floor of the departure hall.

Stores and walkways under water

I was on site around 08:15 a.m.; the air smelled of wet rubber and cleaning agents. Several small shops along the way to the gates had wet floor mats and items placed high up; some checkouts were idle. Travelers carried suitcases through puddles, children involuntarily played with splashing water, and at the boarding card checkpoint improvisation was used: folding chairs and warning signs were moved to the back to prevent slips.

Eyewitnesses reported that the water sometimes streamed in a continuous jet across the tiles. An older man who had just missed his flight said dryly: I have never seen anything like this here. The airport management immediately called in cleaning crews and technicians; the fire department arrived within minutes to secure the situation.

Flight operations and consequences

Several connections experienced delays as routes to the gates were temporarily closed. According to ground staff, some flights were still able to board on schedule while others were postponed until the aisles were dry and safe again. There were no injuries according to initial information, but a few wet shoes and damaged umbrellas—something you don't usually expect at an airport.

The cause: a fault in the service buggy. The driver is currently being questioned, and the responsible authorities are checking the points where the pipelines connect. This also raises questions of responsibility: How well are the pipelines protected, how tight are the paths for auxiliary vehicles, and what could be done to ensure something like this does not happen again?

The cleanup took several hours. Airport staff handed out towels, placed warning signs, and set up a small help zone for affected travelers. By noon, the most important areas were reopened, and the last dampness was treated with drying equipment.

If you are planning to fly today: expect short delays and, perhaps, check your airline's app one more time. And yes, check your shoes before entering a gate — you never know when water will splash over the tiles again.