The flooding caused chaos at Palma airport.

The flooding caused chaos at Palma airport. | Teresa Ayuga

Humphrey CarterPalma19/06/2024 15:27
TW
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Spanish airport authority Aena has said that the flooding suffered at Palma airport on June 11 as a result of the rain was due to the fact that some areas of the terminal are under construction and the drainage system had not been completed and it gave assurances that measures have been taken to ensure that this does not happen again.

This is what the director of Palma airport, Tomás Melgar, told the director of Transport, Lorena del Valle, in a meeting today with the Balearic government to analyse the effects of the storm that caused the airport to temporarily paralyse activity and activate its emergency plan for flooding.

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During the meeting, Aena stated that it has adopted measures to ensure that freak weather conditions do not affect the interior of the airport building and that last Tuesday’s rain occurred when the terminal building was undergoing construction work, which has not yet been finished.

That is why, in some areas under construction, because the roof drainage systems had not been completed, the water entered the terminal. As for the flooding areas outside the terminal, Aena said that it is working together with the Directorate General for Water Resources to analyse the improvements to be implemented in the drainage system around the airport.

The Director General of Transport welcomed the action being taken and highlighted the importance of infrastructures such as the airports for the connectivity of residents and visitors. Palma airport was closed after it was hit by a storm that left over 50 litres per square metre of rain and caused extensive flooding. Eye witnesses told the Bulletin that it was "chaos" with travellers running for cover from the rain which came pouring through the roof. Airport staff were battling to bring the situation under control. Passengers waited on their aircraft for a return to normal operations.