A video filmed from inside the cockpit of a plane shows the moment a pilot made a successful landing at a Spanish airport which has been hit by a ‘tsunami’ of floodwater
Pilot shows what it’s like to land at Spanish airport in red-level storm
A pilot has captured the dramatic moment he landed a plane at Malaga Airport amidst a severe red-level storm.
Despite being battered by torrential rain and powerful winds, the aircraft managed to make a successful landing on Runway 12. The video, believed to be filmed by a passenger in the cockpit, reveals the intensity of the storm with rain visibly pounding against the window. As the plane descends, the camera pans to show the ground below, revealing catastrophic flooding.
Trees appear barely above water level as the River Guadalhorce overflows, sending water surging dangerously close to the airport. The footage was taken on 13 November.
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As of yesterday afternoon, only one flight was cancelled and five were diverted, including those from Krakow, Zurich, Frankfurt and Paris. No arrivals were listed for the evening on Malaga Airport’s website. The last recorded flight landed at 6.22pm local time. All scheduled departures were also cancelled yesterday, reports Bristol Live.
Aena, the national airport operator, has urged passengers to check with their airlines for updates before heading to the airport. Residents have been warned to avoid unnecessary travel after the Spanish State Meteorological Agency issued a red alert. Up to 120mm of rainfall is expected in Malaga, Guadalhorce Valley and Axarquía. Public transport services, including the metro, have been suspended in Malaga until further notice.
Spain is grappling with new storms that have led to school closures and train cancellations, just two weeks after flash floods in the Valencia region claimed over 220 lives and wrecked thousands of homes. On Wednesday evening, coastal areas of Valencia were put on maximum alert, with meteorologists predicting up to 180mm of rain could fall within a five-hour window.
Clean-up operations are still ongoing in parts of Valencia most affected by the October 29 storm, and there’s growing concern about what additional rainfall could mean for streets still littered with mud and debris. In the southern province of Malaga, streets were submerged while 3,000 residents near the Guadalhorce river were evacuated as a precautionary measure.
Schools throughout the province were shut, along with numerous shops. Train services between Malaga and Madrid, and Barcelona and Valencia were cancelled. Valencia’s regional government also imposed restrictions on the use of private vehicles until Thursday in areas impacted by the October storm, which saw tsunami-like floods sweep cars away. No fatalities have been reported from the new storms.
Spanish weather agency AEMET issued a red alert for Malaga, stating that up to 70mm of rain had fallen in an hour. Parts of Tarragona province in the east also experienced heavy rainfall and remained under a red alert. The Billie Jean King Cup tennis finals between Spain and Poland, originally scheduled for Wednesday, have been delayed due to the weather forecast in Malaga. The storm system affecting Spain is a result of warm air colliding with stagnant cold air, forming powerful rain clouds.
Experts are warning that cycles of drought and flooding are on the rise due to climate change.