Strong westerly gusts topping 70 km/h forced air-traffic controllers to divert at least eight flights bound for Málaga-Costa del Sol airport on Saturday afternoon. Aircraft from Wizz Air, Ryanair, British Airways and others rerouted to Alicante, Almería or Valencia after pilots reported unstable approach paths. Several arrivals faced two-hour holds, and a Lufthansa jet abandoned its landing flare metres above the runway before climbing away to wait out turbulent downdraughts.(surinenglish.com)
Aemet had issued amber wind and rain warnings for the province, and Málaga airport briefly operated on a single runway orientation, reducing capacity by 30 %. Although operations normalised by evening, the episode highlights growing weather-related volatility on Spain’s busiest winter leisure gateway.
![Gale-force winds divert eight aircraft away from Málaga as Storm Marta hits Costa del Sol]()
For travellers unexpectedly rerouted to other Spanish gateways, it’s worth double-checking that your documentation still meets entry rules for the Schengen area. VisaHQ can help clarify visa validity across multiple points of entry and even arrange urgent paperwork if your diversion turns into an overnight stay elsewhere. Visit https://www.visahq.com/spain/ for fast assistance before weather woes become immigration issues.
For business travellers the knock-on effects were immediate: evening Iberia and Vueling connections onwards to Madrid and Barcelona missed their slots, triggering hotel-night compensation claims. Freight forwarders using belly-cargo out of Málaga reported perishable-goods delays.
Airlines have waived change fees for affected passengers through 9 February. Travellers heading to Andalusia should monitor flight status and consider flying into Seville or Granada during peak storm windows.
Aemet had issued amber wind and rain warnings for the province, and Málaga airport briefly operated on a single runway orientation, reducing capacity by 30 %. Although operations normalised by evening, the episode highlights growing weather-related volatility on Spain’s busiest winter leisure gateway.
For travellers unexpectedly rerouted to other Spanish gateways, it’s worth double-checking that your documentation still meets entry rules for the Schengen area. VisaHQ can help clarify visa validity across multiple points of entry and even arrange urgent paperwork if your diversion turns into an overnight stay elsewhere. Visit https://www.visahq.com/spain/ for fast assistance before weather woes become immigration issues.
For business travellers the knock-on effects were immediate: evening Iberia and Vueling connections onwards to Madrid and Barcelona missed their slots, triggering hotel-night compensation claims. Freight forwarders using belly-cargo out of Málaga reported perishable-goods delays.
Airlines have waived change fees for affected passengers through 9 February. Travellers heading to Andalusia should monitor flight status and consider flying into Seville or Granada during peak storm windows.
