All flight operations at Lanzarote's César Manrique Airport have been suspended today (Monday) due to intense haze and calima, a weather phenomenon caused by airborne dust from the Sahara Desert. The adverse weather conditions have forced several flights to be diverted to Fuerteventura and others delayed indefinitely, according to the Spanish airport authority, Aena.
As of the latest update, four flights have been redirected to Fuerteventura, which include three international flights from Dublin, Birmingham, and Leeds, as well as a domestic flight from Madrid.
The Ryanair flight from Dublin, which was scheduled to land Lanzarote at 10:40am, eventually touched down at Fuerteventura Airport just after 11:00am. Similarly, a Tui Airways flight from Birmingham also landed in Fuerteventura at 11:15am.
Additional flights from East Midlands, Gran Canaria, and Tenerife are currently holding in the air, awaiting further instructions on whether they can land in Lanzarote or will also need to be diverted.
The Directorate General of Emergencies for the Canary Islands has issued a warning about "unstable meteorological conditions" affecting the archipelago. These conditions include strong winds, high temperatures, calima, and the potential for unusual storms originating from Africa. Authorities continue to monitor the situation closely, and further disruptions are anticipated as the weather persists.
