Flights at Palma de Mallorca’s Son Sant Joan airport were delayed on Tuesday 24 September due to a technical failure at the French air traffic control centre in Marseille. The disruption is affecting airspace across Europe and impacting Spain’s air traffic network, including airports in the Balearics, Barcelona, Madrid, Valencia, and Malaga.
Passengers were advised to check with airlines for flight updates before heading to the airport. The issue stems from a failure in radio equipment in southern France, leading to probable route diversions and significant delays for safety reasons.
Ryanair has been particularly affected, with 12% of its flights delayed, blaming ongoing air traffic control mismanagement and staff shortages across Europe. The airline called on the European Commission to address these systemic problems as flight demand recovers post-pandemic.
