The downpour led to the closure of the airport. Flight to Krakow delayed by over 7 hours

Valencia and part of the province of Alicante are struggling with the effects of violent storms and heavy rainfall. On Wednesday, September 16, water flooded streets, tunnels and buildings, leading to hundreds of emergency services. School classes were suspended in many towns. Transport also had problems. After Valencia airport closed overnight on Thursday morning, passengers still have to expect cancellations and delays lasting many hours. The injured include: passengers returning to Poland.

The element paralyzes Valencia. Aemet issued a warning

On Wednesday evening, almost 96 liters of rain fell per square meter in Torrent, Valencia, including 71 liters in just half an hour. According to Spanish media, high rainfall amounts were also recorded in Khiva, Montserrat, l’Eliana, Alboraia and Valencia itself. The downpour was accompanied by storms and wind gusts reaching up to 100 km per hour.

By 11 p.m., emergency services recorded 478 interventions, mainly due to flooded streets and buildings, problems on the roads and material damage. Drivers got stuck, among others: on the Valencia ring road, tunnels were also closed and traffic on all Metrovalencia lines was temporarily suspended. The authorities launched a flood prevention plan and sent an alert to residents. On Thursday morning, warnings from the State Meteorological Agency Aemet against heavy rainfall are still in force.

Major disruptions at the airport

One of the places hardest hit by overnight rainfall was Valencia-Manises airport. After part of the infrastructure was flooded, the port was temporarily closed and some aircraft were redirected to other airports. Operations resumed on Thursday morning, but the schedule remains severely disrupted. The KLM flight to Amsterdam at 6:30 was canceled and the Air France flight to Paris, scheduled for 6:40, was postponed to 10.15. Passengers flying to Poland also experience major difficulties. The Ryanair flight to Krakow was scheduled to take off at 6:25, however, according to the morning schedule, the departure was moved to 1:30 p.m., which is more than seven hours. Aena appeals to passengers to check the status of their connection with the carrier before leaving for the airport.