Airlines including British Airways, easyJet, Ryanair and TAP were affected by the power cuts in Spain and Portugal on Monday, which saw chaos across the rails, airports and roads of the two countries
Thousands of British holidaymakers are scrambling to get back home today after being left stranded due to massive power outages in Portugal and Spain that wreaked havoc on Monday.
Airports across both nations faced significant disruptions because of the power failures. At least twenty-five flights from Portugal to the UK were axed. The airlines hit by the cancellations included big names like British Airways, easyJet, Ryanair, and TAP.
Flight cancellations affected various UK destinations: five to Heathrow, four each to Bristol and Gatwick, three each to Luton and Manchester, and two to Stansted. Additionally, one flight was cancelled to Aberdeen, Belfast, Birmingham, and Newcastle respectively. Numerous other services experienced delays.
A 9.10pm flight from Porto to Gatwick operated by British Airways was postponed until the next day. FlightAware shows that there are six flights cancelled from Barcelona El Prat and five flights cancelled from Madrid Airport today.
Were you swept up in the chaos in Spain and Portugal? Email [email protected]
READ MORE: Police intervene as protesters target tourists with new tactic in Spanish hotspot
READ MORE: Police intervene as protesters target tourists with new tactic in Spanish hotspot
Several passengers took to social media platform X to vent their frustrations. Gareth Cleverly reached out to easyJet on the platform, sharing his ordeal of being “stuck at Faro airport” following a flight cancellation. He added: “We have had zero contact since the cancellation email, we’re stranded. “Where is our hotel? We don’t fly again until Wednesday morning. Respond asap please.”
One frustrated passenger penned a message to the airline, exclaiming: “I’m stranded in Faro! “You’ve cancelled our flights, not updated the app so it’s still showing live and there’s nobody at the airport to help us? What’s going on?”
Passengers delayed on flights run by UK or EU carriers arriving at UK airports are entitled to support. This includes a reasonable amount of food and drink (typically provided through vouchers), reimbursement for communication costs (like phone calls), and if necessary, accommodation plus transportation for an overnight stay.
Rory Boland, editor of Which? Travel magazine, said: “Airlines must look after passengers when flights are cancelled, whatever the reason for the cancellation. That means putting you on an alternate flight to get you to your destination, if needed, or you can accept a refund. You are almost certainly better off insisting on rerouting if you still intended to travel, as flights will be expensive.
“Airlines will struggle to meet these requirements during the current situation. But if you are stuck because your flight has been cancelled or delayed and need to buy a meal, or need a hotel overnight, make sure you keep the receipts as you will be able to claim this back from the airline.”
In response, easyJet issued a statement saying: “We have been informed that power has been restored to the key airports we fly to and from in Portugal and Spain and so plan to operate our flying programme as normal. We are advising customers to check flight tracker for the latest information on their flights. We continue to monitor the situation closely.
“Any customers who are in Spain or Portugal and unable to travel to the airport due to the outage are eligible for free-of-charge transfers to an alternative easyJet flight within 72 hours or a flight voucher.”
British Airways and Ryanair were contacted for a statement.
Power is expected to be restored in Spain and Portugal on Tuesday, however, some flight disturbances are still ongoing as numerous aircraft and flight crew are not in their designated locations. Authorities are currently investigating the root cause of the outages.