Failings at Palma airport air traffic control in damning new report

Functions were transferred to Madrid to save costs

A control tower unit was closed at the time of the Valencia storm. | Teresa Ayuga

Majorca Daily Bulletin reporterPalma31/01/2025 09:46Updated at 11:17

An internal Palma Airport safety report has criticised "absolutely irresponsible" action by the state air navigation company Enaire at the time of the devastating storm that hit Valencia towards the end of last October.

The report points to a lack of key safety when the Valencia region was on red alert for bad weather. A unit of the control tower at Son Sant Joan was closed because two specialist flow control technicians were off sick.

The functions had been transferred to Madrid, but it is noted that controllers could have been paid overtime as cover. Enaire chose not to pay the overtime. The fact there were there no serious consequences was due only to "providence".

At Palma on October 28 there were 819 flights; on the 29th there were 767. Around thirty flights were diverted from Valencia to Barcelona or Alicante. The report is concerned by what might have happened had there been diversions to Palma or if planes had needed to move towards the Balearics, where there were also weather alerts (but not red).

The matter has been raised in Spain's Senate. A senator, Enric Xavier Morera, quoted from the report: "It was absolutely irresponsible to leave the Balearic Islands without technicians in order to save on personnel costs." The director of Enaire's air navigation services has been asked what measures will be taken to prevent this situation from happening again.