For several hours, the primary airports of the Canary Islands were thrown into chaos with numerous diverted flights and delays in departures. A private jet caused the closure of the runway at Tenerife South Airport, leading to the redirection of up to 22 flights to both Tenerife North Airport and Gran Canaria Airport.
Out of these, twenty flights originated from international locations, while two were from domestic areas. A considerable number of passengers were impacted, spending as long as eight hours aboard the aircraft. A woman from Tenerife was en route from London-Gatwick to Tenerife South with her family. The flight, originally scheduled for 2:15 p.m., was already 30 minutes behind schedule.
Once they were above Tenerife, the flight altered its course and initiated a holding pattern: “Suddenly, the pilot informed us about an incident at Tenerife South Airport, which had been closed, and that we would be heading to Gran Canaria“. Following this announcement, despite ultimately landing on Gran Canaria, anxiety within the aircraft intensified after the subsequent message from the captain: “Two minutes later, he informed us that they were unsure if we would land in Gran Canaria, Lanzarote, or Fuerteventura.”
Traffic congestion at Tenerife South Airport / Alexis Rojas
No updates on the situation
Communication was solely in English; at no point were instructions provided in Spanish for passengers returning from the United Kingdom. After landing in Gran Canaria, and following an assurance that “as soon as they had any information, they would relay it to us,” passengers remained on the aircraft for two hours.
Throughout this period, the crew offered no updates: “We were informing the passengers from within thanks to social media. The only information we had access to was from the account of air traffic controllers and The Day“. The tension aboard the aircraft was tangible, with the persistent sound of a baby crying and a longing for communication that never materialised.
In light of these circumstances, this passenger noted an important detail regarding the experience: “While we were waiting, they didn’t even provide us with water. They wheeled the cart down the aisle to see if anyone wanted to make a purchase. We were left in disbelief.” After two hours of waiting, with all redirected planes to Gran Canaria parked on the runway, good news finally arrived: “The only information we received was that the Tenerife South runway had been cleared and that we were lined up to depart.”
Ultimately, factoring in the delay in London, the closure of Tenerife South, and the wait in Gran Canaria, the entire journey aboard the plane lasted a taxing eight hours: “We boarded around 1:40 p.m., landed in Gran Canaria at approximately 7:00 p.m., and finally arrived in Tenerife around 9:40 p.m. An unforgettable ordeal.
