Paraglider faces fine of up to €250,000 for disrupting air traffic at Palma Airport

The Spanish Civil Guard is searching for the individual who flew a paraglider near Palma de Mallorca Airport (Son Sant Joan) on Sunday, March 16, causing disruptions to air traffic and forcing the diversion of four flights. The incident also led to widespread delays throughout the afternoon.

According to sources from Ultima Hora, the Fiscal Section of the Civil Guard at the airport has taken charge of the investigation. While drones have previously interrupted air traffic at certain airports, this is an unprecedented case involving a paraglider. Palma Airport has dealt with similar issues before, such as a drone sighting in 2019 that affected operations.

The paraglider pilot faces a serious or very serious offense under Spanish Air Safety Law 21/2003, which carries fines ranging from €45,000 to €250,000.

The incident unfolded around 13:00 on Sunday when Palma air traffic controllers detected a paraglider in close proximity to the airport. They immediately alerted the Civil Guard, which then informed the National Police, as the airport falls within their jurisdiction. Palma’s local police were also notified.

Both the Civil Guard and Aena, Spain’s airport operator, have emphasized the severe risk posed by the unauthorized presence of a paraglider near the airport. Air traffic controllers reported that the situation led to delays of approximately 40 minutes for arriving flights until normal operations resumed. As a result, four flights opted to divert to alternative airports.