Lorraine Williamson
For 35 tense minutes on Sunday afternoon, the skies above Mallorca fell silent. Air traffic at Palma de Mallorca Airport was abruptly suspended after pilots spotted a drone hovering between the runways — a small object with massive consequences.
Six separate flight crews reported the sighting, forcing controllers to freeze all arrivals and departures in what should have been one of the airport’s busiest hours of the weekend.
At the time of the alert, almost 900 take-offs and landings were scheduled. With airspace closed, planes circled helplessly above the island, while others were rerouted to nearby airports in Ibiza, Menorca and Barcelona. One Ryanair flight from Madrid was halfway through its descent when the pilot announced a diversion, leaving passengers confused and stranded. “We were just about to land when the captain told us we’d have to continue to Ibiza,” one traveller stated. “We sat on the runway there for nearly an hour with no information.”
Emergency protocols take over
Air traffic control declared a rare “rate zero” — a total freeze on movements to and from Palma. The airport’s control centre urgently asked Barcelona’s airspace managers to slow inbound traffic to prevent overcrowding in the skies. It was a rapid, coordinated effort, but it exposed just how fragile modern air systems remain when faced with unexpected drone activity.
Search finds nothing — but questions remain
Despite deploying inspection teams and even Palma’s own surveillance drone, authorities found no trace of the rogue device. Once cleared, flights resumed and delayed passengers finally began to move again. Yet the sense of unease lingered. Spain’s air navigation authority, Enaire, confirmed that security services are investigating the incident to identify who — or what — was behind the disruption.
Drone risks rising across Europe
Mallorca’s scare is far from isolated. Across Europe, reports of drones near major airports have multiplied. Recent months have seen temporary closures in Denmark and Germany due to similar threats. In Spain, it’s strictly illegal to fly drones within an eight-kilometre radius of any airport. Offenders face heavy fines and even criminal prosecution, but enforcement remains a challenge.
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Exposing aviation’s weak spots
The incident underscores how vulnerable air travel remains to small, unmanned aircraft. A single drone can trigger nationwide disruption, cost airlines millions, and leave thousands of passengers grounded. Even brief closures can ripple across Europe’s congested flight network.
As drone ownership continues to rise and technology becomes more accessible, Spain’s aviation authorities face mounting pressure to strengthen detection systems, clarify penalties, and educate the public. Mallorca’s unexpected shutdown may have lasted less than an hour — but it was a stark warning of how easily the country’s busiest airports can be brought to a standstill.
Source: Diario de Mallorca