Ben Pawlowski
THOUSANDS of holidaymakers are currently stranded at airports across Spain after AEMET, the state weather agency, issued an orange weather alert for heavy rainfall.
Dozens of flights have been cancelled at Barcelona El-Prat Airport after Catalunya’s Civil Protection Service activated a flood alert with violent thunderstorms forecast to dump up to 40mm of rain per hour in the region.
At least 40 flights have been cancelled, with the majority operated by low-cost Spanish airline Vueling.
Other flights are facing severe delays with disruption currently lasting an average of 36 minutes, according to website FlightRadar.
Cancelled flights include services to London, Paris and Lisbon.
According to local media, the major international hub, which handled over 55 million passengers last year, is only operating at 60% capacity owing to the inclement weather.
Further east, passengers departing Palma de Mallorca Airport can expect delays of over half an hour, although no flights have currently been cancelled.
Four flights due to land in Barcelona from Menorca have been cancelled.
Earlier this week, AEMET triggered an orange alert ahead of expected rainfall in the Catalunya region, with warnings also activated for heavy hail and strong gusts of wind.
On Thursday, Catalunya’s eastern coast, including capital city Barcelona, was forecast to be hardest hit.
The weather warning lasts until 8pm on Thursday, with sunshine expected to return to the region on Friday.
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