Storms Cause Chaos at Palma Airport: Many Flights Delayed

Thunderstorms and heavy rain bring air traffic to a standstill

At Palma Airport, Sunday morning was chaotic: dense clouds, a wet runway and regularly flashing departure boards, showing "Retrasado" repeatedly. Many aircraft from Germany — for example from Dortmund, Memmingen and Cologne/Bonn — arrived significantly later than planned. Departures to Stuttgart and Berlin-Brandenburg started partially with delays of up to an hour and a half.

What travelers should know now

If you are traveling today, plan for significantly more time. The airport benches were full, the queue at the information desk long. I stood briefly at Terminal C: a couple from Dortmund traded frustrated WhatsApp messages with relatives, an older man carried his suitcase like a treasure. Small tip: Ask directly with the airline and have online boarding passes ready — it saves nerves.

Only a few flights have been cancelled so far. Most problems are delays, affecting both international and domestic connections. The few cancellations so far mainly affected routes to and from Ibiza. Especially for connecting travelers, this can quickly become stressful — bus and ferry connections don't wait forever for a delayed plane.

Reason for the situation: the ongoing severe weather warning. On Mallorca a yellow alert due to thunderstorms and heavy rain is currently in effect; on Ibiza and Formentera the situation is even more serious. On Saturday heavy rain had already flooded streets and temporarily affected some approaches to the airport.

Practical tips and local impressions

A few practical things that can help: Regularly check the AENA online flight schedule and your airline's push notifications, expect at least one to two hours of delays and stay in touch with your accommodation. Taxis at the airport formed longer queues, car rental stations were slower — all damp and a bit chaotic.

The weather service forecasts say the situation will probably stabilize only on Monday morning. Until then: stay calm, plan for patience and pack warm clothing — rain from outside and downcast moods inside make both cold.

If you are affected: document delays (screenshot of the display, boarding pass), keep receipts and contact your airline. Sometimes hotel or transfer costs can be reimbursed.

I will continue to monitor developments and update here if the situation changes. Current departure and arrival information: aena.es.