Mallorca storms cause over 40 cancellations and hundreds of delays at Palma de Mallorca Airport

Disruption overview

Severe thunderstorms over Mallorca on 9 September 2026 disrupted operations at Palma de Mallorca Airport (PMI), causing more than 40 cancellations and several hundred delays as lightning, torrential rain, and shifting winds interrupted landings, departures, and ground handling. Knock-on disruption continued on 10 and 11 September while airlines worked to reposition aircraft and crews left out of place by the shutdown, although operations were largely back to normal by 13 September. Because severe weather is outside an airline's control, compensation is usually unlikely when flights are delayed or canceled for this reason. Airlines should still provide care such as rebooking, meals, refreshments, and accommodation when needed, so it's worth keeping your travel documents and receipts if your journey was affected.

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Disruption details

Severe thunderstorms hit Mallorca on 9 September 2026, disrupting operations at Palma de Mallorca Airport (PMI) and causing more than 40 cancellations and several hundred delays during one of the airport's busiest late-summer travel periods.

For passengers, this meant flights that couldn't land or depart during the worst of the storm, longer waits at the airport, and travel plans that changed quickly as delays and diversions built up.

Torrential rain, lightning, and strong, shifting winds forced the airport to scale back operations through the afternoon and evening. Ground handling was also suspended repeatedly under lightning safety rules, stopping refueling, baggage loading, and other ramp work.

Once those pauses began, disruption spread fast across the schedule. Aircraft were held away from Palma, departure slots backed up, and arriving flights had to be rescheduled as the backlog grew.

The worst of the disruption on 9 September included:

• More than 40 flight cancellations at Palma de Mallorca Airport.

• Several hundred delays affecting both departing and arriving services.

• Holding patterns, diversions, and runway flow restrictions that left aircraft and crews out of position.

The delays affected both outbound tourist services and inbound holiday traffic, so the disruption was felt by travelers heading to Mallorca as well as those leaving the island.

The airport disruption reflected a much wider weather emergency across the island. At the same time, local emergency services were dealing with flooded roads, downed trees, and other storm-related incidents across Mallorca.

Operations began to stabilize on 10 and 11 September, but the knock-on effects didn't disappear straight away. Some cancellations and delays continued while airlines repositioned aircraft and crews that had been displaced by the shutdown on 9 September.

Palma's schedule can be especially sensitive to short interruptions because so many flights are quick turnarounds between popular European leisure destinations. Some satellite-guided approach procedures at the airport were already restricted, which gave controllers and crews less flexibility when visibility changed or winds shifted.

Flights across both full-service and low-cost European carriers were caught up in the disruption. If you were traveling through Palma, using your airline's app or website to manage rebooking was likely the fastest option while queues built at airport service desks.

By 13 September, operations at Palma were largely back to normal, although late-summer storm conditions in the western Mediterranean can still change quickly. If you're flying soon, it's worth checking weather alerts and your flight status regularly before you leave for the airport.

If your flight was canceled or heavily delayed because of these storms, compensation is usually unlikely because severe weather is outside the airline's control. Even so, you're not without support. Under EC 261, airlines should still help with rebooking or a refund, and provide care such as meals, refreshments, accommodation, and communications when your wait is long enough.

Keep your boarding documents and receipts if the disruption left you out of pocket. And if you want a quick way to understand what support may still apply, AirHelp's free flight checker can help you review your options in just a couple of minutes.

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