Flights were forced to divert away from Palma airport after a reported drone sighting at the popular Mallorcan holiday destination.
Flights were temporarily disrupted on Sunday evening, 19 October, at the main aviation hub for the Balearic island.
“The sighting of a drone at Palma de Mallorca Airport has forced a temporary halt to operations for safety reasons,” Spanish air navigation manager Enaire posted on X on Sunday evening, just after 7.20pm CEST.
In a statement to The Independent, Enaire said that several pilots reported the sighting of a drone in an area near the two runways at Palma de Mallorca Airport.
It added that the protocol for such cases is to halt operations for safety reasons while the area is inspected by security forces.
Flight tracking data from Flightradar showed eight diversions between 7pm and 7.30pm CEST, including two Ryanair flights that were diverted to Ibiza, while other flights landed in Barcelona and Menorca.
Some flights managed to arrive in Palma but encountered large delays, such as a Ryanair flight from Edinburgh, which landed after 30 minutes of circling the airport.
Departures from Palma airport were significantly delayed from 6.40pm onwards, causing a knock-on effect throughout the evening. One Vueling flight to Seville was also cancelled.
By Monday morning, the airport appeared to have recovered from the disruption.
The Spanish airport group, Aena, said in a statement on Monday: “Yesterday evening, Palma de Mallorca Airport had to temporarily suspend incoming flight operations for 35 minutes as a precaution after a drone was detected in the vicinity.
“During that time, eight flights had to be diverted. Once the necessary safety checks were completed, the airport resumed normal operations.”
After a string of drone-related disruptions at other Spanish airports, Aena has published a statement warning those who own drones about safety regulations near planes.
“The use of unauthorised and improperly coordinated drones in the vicinity of airport facilities poses a very serious risk to aircraft operations,” Aena said.
“Drone operations are not permitted within 8km of airports, it added. “Irresponsible use of drones in airports can cost lives and result in fines of up to €225k (£195k).”
The incident comes days after flights to Fuerteventura were temporarily grounded after a drone flew too close to the airport.
The delay affected around 600 passengers passing through the airport on the morning of Tuesday, 14 October.
The Spanish police force Guardia Civil said that operations at the airport were halted for over an hour, between 7am and 8.10am, after airport staff reportedly spotted a drone flying less than one kilometre from the runway.
Dozens of flights were also cancelled or diverted at Munich Airport earlier this month as a result of a reported drone sighting, leaving almost 3,000 passengers stranded.
After reopening, the airport had to shut down for the second time in 24 hours due to another suspected sighting, impacting a further 6,500 passengers.
The Independent has contacted Aena for comment.
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