Flights in and out of Gran Canaria and Tenerife were suspended on Saturday evening after a sandstorm swept across the islands.
Blowing in from North Africa, sandstorm Calima caused such poor visibility that it was deemed too dangerous for aircraft to operate on the evening of 22 February. As a result, all flights were canceled, causing mass travel chaos during a popular holiday period.
Poor visibility led to AENA, Spain’s airport operator, cancelling, suspending or diverting flights.
The country’s national weather service has warned that winds of up to 120km/h (75mph) could hit the Canaries until Monday.
The winds have also affected ferry services, and hampered efforts to fight a wildfire in Tasarte, Gran Canaria. The timing of the storm was particularly unfortunate with many tourists, especially UK travelers that were headed to the Canary Islands this week for half-term holiday as they were left stranded due to travel chaos.
Dust storm at Gran Canaria Airport
DUST STORM / Gran Canaria Airport (LPA) has been closed for the past few hours due to a sandstorm, reducing visibility. 30+ flights have been diverted to other airports in the Canary Islands and continental Europe. Video: twitter.com/controladores. Follow them for more updates.Fuerteventura: facebook.com/AeronewsGlobal/posts/2772955152780567
Geplaatst door Aeronews op Zaterdag 22 februari 2020
