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Heavy rainfall causes traffic and flight delays
Traffic and flights were affected by this morning's thunderstorm, with several flights being delayed and diverted due to the closing of the airspace
2 October 2017, 10:08am
Staff Reporter
Staff Reporter
1 min read
This morning, traffic was brought to a virtual standstill, with hundreds of cars being trapped in long traffic jams in the downpour.
As a result of the thunderstorm that hit the Maltese islands earlier this morning, flights were also affected, with various delays being reported. The Malta Air Traffic Services reported a thunder strike, resulting in the temporary closure of the aerodrome.
Two Ryanair flights to Rome, two Air Malta flights to London and Munich and a Wizzair flight to Skopje were all affected, delayed or diverted following this morning's thunderstorm.
Radar failure affecting Maltese airspace - high levels of #flightdelay https://t.co/1MLgVpg22Q
— EUROCONTROL (@eurocontrol) October 2, 2017
"Whilst apologising to affected passengers for any inconvenience caused, the airspace has now reopened and airport operations have resumed", said Malta International Airport.
Thundery showers are likely to continue through to tomorrow.
Commuters who opted to make use of the public transport reported extensive delays, with passengers telling MaltaToday that at least 17 buses were cancelled. University students making their way to Freshers’ Week were among those left stranded.
