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Date Published: 29/10/2024

Lightning strike grounds flights at Malaga Airport

An electrical storm interfered with the control tower's communications system at the Costa del Sol terminal

It was a pretty dramatic morning at Malaga Airport as dozens of flights were grounded by an electrical storm brought on by the DANA (Depresión Aislada en Niveles Altos) which is currently sweeping through southern Spain.

According to the Costa del Sol Aerodrome, a lightning strike interfered with the control tower’s communications system, meaning it wasn’t safe for aircraft to come and go.

The incident, which occurred just before 8am, caused a ripple effect of delays that are expected to continue throughout the day.

The lightning strike was just one part of a larger weather system that brought heavy rainfall, hail and more than 26,000 bolts of lightning to the wider Malaga region. The adverse weather conditions forced air traffic controllers to modify the frequency of approaches to the runway, causing delays in flights that were scheduled to take off or land between 5am and 6am.

According to sources from Enaire, the incident only took around half an hour to resolve, but not before causing significant delays to several flights.

One flight to Zurich, operated by Swiss International Air Lines, was delayed by more than four hours, taking off at 9am instead of 5.35am. Another flight to Belfast, operated by Ryanair, was delayed by approximately three hours, departing at 8.50am instead of 5.45am.

The delays affected several airlines, including Ryanair, Swiss International Air Lines, AirEuropa and Iberia. Two flights from Madrid's Barajas airport, operated by AirEuropa and AeroMexico, were delayed by over 30 minutes, arriving at 8.20am instead of 7.45am. Two flights from Melilla, operated by Iberia and Qatar Airways, were also delayed, but only by around 10 minutes.

As the day goes on, further delays are expected, according to flight status information provided on the Aena website. Passengers are advised to check the website for updates on their flights and to plan accordingly.

Join our Andalucía Weather Watch Facebook group for all the latest storm updates

Image: Enaire

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