Canary Islands: ‘Absolute chaos’ for British tourists after Saharan sandstorm swallows holiday resorts
The IndependentFor free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy British holidaymakers are set to begin flying home from the Canary Islands after a sandstorm triggered “absolute chaos” by forcing a number of airport closures due to high winds and poor visibility. Spain’s airport operator Aena grounded flights from Gran Canaria, Lanzarote, La Palma, North and South Tenerife over the weekend, although customer service staff said the airports remained open for passengers. Although conditions are expected to persist – Spain’s national weather service said 75mph winds could buffet the Canaries in the coming 24 hours – flights from all airports except South Tenerife will be able to take off on Monday, Aena said in a statement. “We’re just ready to be home.” A spokeswoman for Tui said: “We would like to sincerely apologise to customers for the disruption caused by the adverse and changeable weather conditions in the Canary Islands on Saturday February 22 and Sunday February 23.” Another tourist from Belfast, who managed to return to the UK on Saturday night, told Sky News that the “apocalyptic” conditions had made it “quite hard to breathe”.
History of this topic
Sand storm had Dutch tourists trapped on Canary Islands
NL Times
Stunning satellite image shows moment Saharan sandstorm engulfed Canary Islands
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