Quantcast

Iberian power outage causes flight disruptions in Spain and Portugal

Airport Workers Save the Day After Woman Loses Diamond from Her Engagement Ring in Baggage Carousel
I never talk to strangers on the plane. After my dad died, a passenger helped me talk about my grief.
American Airlines reveals new summer route: Miami → Rome
Budget UK airline launches huge sale with £29 flights to 475 holiday hotspots – but you’ll have to be quick
Delta Passengers Can Book a ‘Last Mile’ Private Jet Charter to Europe This Summer
Honeywell Runway Safety Technology Selected by Southwest Airlines for Fleetwide Installation
Southwest Airlines Adds Cockpit Alerts to Boost Runway Safety
This Airline Is Going to Start Handing Out $675 Fines to 'Unruly' Passengers: 'It Is Unacceptable'
Summer of savings? New analysis shows airfare has dropped significantly - The Points Guy
Travelers are taking extreme measures and using hacks to avoid airline baggage fees
Pigeons Cause Chaos on Delta Flight
United Airlines’ Uniforms Get A Facelift—And A Political Filter
United Continues to Face Catering Chaos at San Francisco
Passenger Stows Away on Delta Flight from New York to Paris
Wizz Air becomes first airline to operate P&W-powered Airbus A321XLR jet
Hawaiian Airlines’ new ‘no show’ policy may make travel more expensive
BLIMP-SE OF THE FUTURE Luxury zeppelins of the future from ‘flying bum’ world’s largest aircraft to Google billionaire’s ‘impossible’ airship
Swiss Startup SmartFlyer Develops Hybrid-Electric Trainer
San Francisco-based entrepreneur takes a trip on India's worst-rated airline, his reaction will surprise you
First-Time Flyer at 81: A Grandmother's Memorable Journey
Ryanair forecasts fare rebound as consumers recover from interest-rate hit
Alaska Airlines' “Aviation Day” inspires future aviators
Global Airlines Launches Inaugural Flight, Aiming to Revive 'Golden Age of Travel'
Winning routes: American Airlines adds more than 22,000 seats for football fans following release of 2025–2026 pro schedule
Boeing scores Middle East plane deal during Trump visit
Air travel will be ‘worse’ this summer, lawmakers warn — as FAA gives infuriating update on system fixes, staffing issues
Qatar Airways places record $96 billion Boeing order amid Trump visit
United Airlines CEO Reassures Passengers About Newark Airport Safety
American Testing Tech to Help Passengers Make Connecting Flights
British Airways to use AI in efforts to improve operations
Iberian power outage causes flight disruptions in Spain and Portugal
Policy
Webp messenger creation 4548e6d3 033e 4c64 960f 5885ac32dbed
Barcelona-El Prat Airport | Official Website

Large sections of Spain and Portugal experienced extensive power outages today, causing significant disruptions. Among the most affected sectors were airports, which depend heavily on electricity for operations. This disruption spread to other public transportation sectors like railways, compounding the chaos.

The power outage began just after midday local time, as reported by The i Paper. Javier Blas of Bloomberg noted on X that the outage resulted in "a loss of >10 GW of demand, from ~26GW to ~12GW in a few seconds." The BBC confirmed these widespread power outages across Spain, as Red Electrica worked to restore power.

The blackouts significantly impacted aviation, with The i Paper detailing that Madrid Barajas Airport lost power. Euro News also reported complete standstills at airports, including delayed flights from Valencia. Aena, Spain’s airport management company, stated that "Due to the power outage, some incidents are occurring [at Spanish airports]. Contingency generators are active. Check with your airline, as there may be issues with access and ground transportation."

Get the Newsletter
Sign-up to receive weekly round up of news from Sky Industry News
By submitting, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Service. By providing your phone number you are opting in and consenting to receive recurring SMS/MMS messages, including automated texts, to that number from our short code. Msg & data rates may apply. Reply HELP for help, STOP to end. SMS opt-in will not be sold, rented, or shared.

While some airports have used contingency generators to partially restore operations, the disruption continued to affect services. Sky News quoted a traveler at Barcelona-El Prat Airport mentioning that although "power is on again now, but still no gate screens are on." Other reports indicated challenges for passengers traveling to departure airports, with disruptions impacting public transport services such as the Madrid Metro.

Data from FlightAware in the afternoon showed delayed but few canceled flights to and from Spanish and Portuguese airports. In Madrid alone, 50 departures and 30 arrivals faced delays, with one cancellation each way. According to aviation analytics company Cirium, approximately 709 flights with 122,870 seats were scheduled to depart Portugal, alongside 3,005 scheduled flights with 520,777 seats from Spain on April 28, 2025.

By 15:45 UTC, Cirium reported 96 canceled departures in Portugal, with Lisbon losing nearly 30% of its flights. Spain saw 45 canceled flights, with Barcelona and Madrid experiencing smaller but notable cancellation rates of 3% and 2.6%, respectively.

Both Spain and Portugal’s major airports started planning strategies to manage the lack of power by the mid-afternoon. Portugal’s Lisbon Airport initially paused arrivals, then allowed a reduced number of flights starting at 16:30 local time. Similarly, Madrid Barajas Airport limited arrivals to 20 per hour, down from the usual 60. In contrast, Barcelona reduced inbound capacity by 50%, which still resulted in significant delays.

The disruption’s full impact remains unclear as recovery efforts continue.

Organizations Included in this History
More News

Flying Food Group has announced that a union employee at its Schiller Park, Illinois facility has filed a petition with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) seeking a vote to remove Unite Here Local 1 as the union representative for the...

Jul 8, 2025

Air New Zealand has launched Dream Seats, a nationwide initiative aimed at supporting New Zealanders in pursuing their dreams.

Jul 8, 2025

dnata Catering & Retail has entered into a management contract with PT IAS Hospitality Indonesia (IASH) to enhance the inflight catering business at Denpasar International Airport.

Jul 8, 2025

Emirates is set to introduce its Premium Economy service on the Dubai-Kolkata route, starting July 18, 2025.

Jul 8, 2025

FedEx has announced a partnership with FUSO to introduce 12 electric trucks into its ground transportation fleet in Taiwan.

Jul 8, 2025

Flight searches for summer travel in 2025 have increased by 7% compared to the previous year, with France experiencing a significant 35% rise in outbound travel searches.

Jul 8, 2025