Palma de Mallorca Airport (PMI/LEPA) faced significant disruption on June 11, 2024, as severe weather led to widespread flooding, causing numerous flight diversions and cancellations. The sudden and intense downpour, accompanied by strong winds, overwhelmed the airport’s drainage systems, resulting in waterlogged runways and taxiways. Let’s use our flight data to take a look at the airlines affected by the disruption.
News ! Palma de Mallorca Son Sant Joan (PMI), Mallorca, has been flooded.
— FL360aero (@fl360aero) June 11, 2024
The extreme weather has brought the operations to a halt, with multiple flights cancelled, delayed or re-routed.
:video_camera:MrR @MrRTSZ , El Perímetro @elperimetrotv #airport #disaster #flood pic.twitter.com/fWikNL2VLh
Diversions
We observed a total of 38 diverted flights inbound to Palma on June 11. The most affected airlines were Ryanair (FR/RYR), who experienced 9 diverted flights, Vueling (VY/VLG) and Eurowings (EW/EWG) with 8 diversions each, and Lauda (LW/LDA) and Smartwings (QS/TVS) who saw 4 each.
The majority of these flights diverted to other airports in Spain, predominantly Valencia (VLC), Mahon (MAH) and Barcelona (BCN).
Cancellations
42 departing flights and 39 arriving flights were canceled at PMI on June 11, representing 10% and 9% of total departures and arrivals respectively. Most affected by cancellations was Eurowings (EW/EWG), who experienced 17 departing flights and 10 arriving flights canceled.
How Do Airports Handle Standing Water?
Effective drainage systems are crucial for airport operations, ensuring runways, taxiways, and parking stands remain safe and functional during adverse weather. Airports employ a combination of engineered solutions to manage standing water. Runways, for instance, are designed with slight gradients and crowned surfaces to promote rapid water runoff. Additionally, porous asphalt and grooved concrete surfaces enhance traction and reduce hydroplaning risks. Drainage channels and underground piping systems swiftly direct water away from these critical areas to retention ponds or off-airport drainage basins.
Taxiways and parking stands, where aircraft maneuver and park, also feature similar design principles. Slight slopes and strategic placement of drains ensure that water does not accumulate, minimizing the risk of aircraft skidding or maintenance issues. In extreme weather conditions, airport maintenance teams monitor and clear these drainage systems to prevent blockages and ensure continuous operation.
Advanced weather forecasting tools enable proactive measures, such as temporary closures and rapid response to emerging drainage issues. There are some severe and unexpected weather conditions that are harder to prepare for, such as the one that impacted PMI on June 11.
