Updated: Travellers urged to check with airlines as power largely restored in Spain and Portugal

Last updated: 11.00, April 29

 

Airports and flights were impacted by a mass power outage in large parts of Spain and Portugal, including Madrid and Lisbon, on Monday.

 

Spain’s electricity grid operator Red Electrica confirmed outages across the country, while national railway company Renfe said the “entire national electricity grid was cut off” at 11.30am UK time, causing trains to “stop” and departures to be halted across all stations.

 

Power has now been restored to around 90% of mainland Spain while about 6.2 million out of 6.5 million homes in Portugal now have electricity again.

 

In an update this morning, the Foreign Office said: “Power outages which affected Andorra, mainland Spain and mainland Portugal on Monday 28 April have largely been resolved but some disruption remains. 

 

“We are monitoring the situation. There may still be some travel disruption, check with your tour operator or airline for more information before travelling. 

 

“Follow the advice of the local authorities and monitor local updates.”

 

A total of 25 flights from the UK to Portugal and 11 to Spain were cancelled on Monday, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium.

 

The latest data shows that 205 departing flights and 208 arrivals at Spanish airports were grounded.

 

Portugal saw 185 departing flights and 187 arrivals cancelled.

 

Jet2 said it had been closely monitoring the impact of the outage affecting mainland Spain and Portugal and all flights would be operating as normal today (Tuesday).

 

Tui UK & Ireland said in an update at 6.30pm on Monday: “At this time, the Balearic Islands, Canary Islands, Azores and Madeira are not affected.”

 

Holidaymakers travelling from or to mainland Spain or Portugal today were advised to check the latest flight status before travelling. 

 

“If you experience any disruption getting to the airport in destination or miss your flight due to the power outage, please don’t worry. Our teams are ready to help you with your travel arrangements,” the company said.

 

“We are contacting affected guests directly, but if you need immediate assistance, please reach out to our customer service team.”

 

EasyJet said yesterday that many of its flights to and from Spain and Portugal were operating as planned, but it encouraged travellers due to travel to visit ‘Flight Tracker’ on the easyJet app or online to check their flight status.

 

Help was also made available to travellers trying to leave Spain or Portugal who missed their flight or were unable to reach the airport because of the power outage.

 

The airline said: “We can arrange a free-of-charge transfer to an alternative easyJet flight that departs within 72 hours of your original flight, or a flight voucher for the value of your flight booking if you wish to delay your plans.”

 

Anyone who arrived at the airport but missed their flight should speak to easyJet’s ground crew, the airline said, while those who could not reach the airport because of the outage were told to contact the carrier’s customer services team.

 

“Although this is beyond our control, we’re doing everything we can to make things easier for you,” the airline said.

 

It added that anyone who had booked a package holiday through a travel agent should contact the agent to discuss options.

 

The mayor of Madrid, José Luis Martínez-Almeida, yesterday urged people to stay where they were, with traffic lights being down in the city and elsewhere. He said all roads needed to be kept clear.

 

Aena, which operates Madrid’s international airport among just under 50 across Spain, said yesterday that travellers should check with their airlines for updates.

 

It said: “Due to the power outage, some incidents are occurring at the airports. Contingency generators are active. Please check with your airline, as there may be incidents at access points and with ground transportation.”

 

Airline TAP Air Portugal instructed passengers not to travel to airports on Monday until further notice, the BBC reported.

 

The Balearics and Canary Islands were not affected by the mass outage, reported the BBC.

 

Spanish prime minister Pedro Sanchez’s office said the government was working to identify the cause of the issue while using “all possible resources” to solve it as quickly as possible.

 

It could take between six and 10 hours for power to be restored, Red Electrica chief executive Eduardo Prieto told a news conference.

 

France also lost power for a period following the outages in Spain and Portugal.

 

Cirium confirmed there were due to be 399 departures from UK airports to Spain on Monday, equating to more than 75,000 seats, and 105 departures from UK airports to Portugal, equating to just under 20,000 seats.

 

In total there were 3,005 departures and 3,005 arrivals expected into Spanish airports, with Madrid expected to see the largest number of flights, followed by Barcelona and Palma.

 

There were expected to be 709 departures and 722 arrivals at Portuguese airports, with Lisbon due to see the largest number of flights, followed by Porto and Faro. 

 

Julia Lo Bue-Said, chief executive of The Advantage Travel Partnership, said: “The mass power outages happening in large parts of Spain and Portugal are likely to be hugely disruptive for both business and leisure travellers, with airports and flights being impacted across Spain and Portugal.”

 

She added: “For anyone worried that their travel to and from Spain or Portugal will be impacted, and who had booked via a travel agent, we recommend contacting them in the first instance as they will be able to provide the latest information and advice.

 

“If you haven’t booked with a travel agent, then try and get in touch with the airlines and they will advise you as best they can.”

 

Which? Travel editor Rory Boland warned: “The power outages in Spain and Portugal will have a significant knock-on effect for those travelling to and from both countries.

 

“Crucially, follow the advice from local emergency services and government if you are already in Spain. Some municipalities have asked for people to stay at home.

 

“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.

“If your flight or holiday is several days or weeks away, the best advice is to not cancel as you will lose money and won’t be able to claim via travel insurance.”