Business as usual at Malaga Airport, but blackout road chaos grounds hundreds of passengers
With traffic lights out and petrol stations closed throughout the Costa del Sol, passengers heading for the airport were left stranded
Throughout the massive power outage that crippled Spain, Portugal and France on Monday April 28, Málaga Airport managed to keep its operations running relatively smoothly. However, the collapse of traffic in the city had a devastating impact on hundreds of passengers who missed their flights due to the chaos on the roads.
The power outage, which saw 60% of Spain's electricity supply vanish in just five seconds, was described by energy authorities as an unprecedented event unlike anything the country has ever experienced. The reasons behind the outage remain under investigation with several hypotheses being explored, including a freak weather event, a possible cyberattack and other conspiracy theories.
Inside Málaga’s terminal, everything was going well, thanks to the airport's backup generators.
"Everything inside the airport is functioning normally. The generators we have allow everything to operate: flights are departing on time and businesses are open," explained a security staff member.
Alicante Airport also fared well, but the same couldn't be said for Madrid and Barcelona, where more than 100 passengers were forced to sleep in the airport after dozens of flights were cancelled and delayed.
However, back on the Costa del Sol, the situation outside the airport was a different story. Many travellers were late for their flights due to the chaotic traffic in the city. Alessandro, a 23-year-old Italian, was one of the unlucky ones who missed his flight to Rome after a desperate attempt to reach the airport.
"It took us almost two hours by car. We paid 100 euros to a woman we met on the road who agreed to give us a ride, because we were going to miss our flight," he said.
"And we still missed it. Ryanair only offered us the money for another ticket for tomorrow, but we've already spent almost all the money."
Alex Presa, a traveller who missed his connection to Mallorca, suffered the same frustration.
"Everything caught us by surprise. We even booked an Uber to get to the airport, but it was cancelled. We had to walk an hour to find a free taxi, and we still missed our flight," he explained.
"There are no more seats for today, and we'll probably have to find accommodation. I understand the airport isn't to blame, but the situation has been a disaster."
The airlines, however, maintain that they can't be held responsible for the external factor that caused passengers to miss their flights.
"I understand that people come to the counters to complain, but we can't do anything; the fact that they missed their flights isn't the company's fault. The options we offer are the usual ones: change the flight to another at an additional cost or have them find another one online," explained a Ryanair customer service representative.
Image: Archive
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