The Inconvenience of the Convenience: Gibraltar Airport Flights Diverted to Malaga; 9 Dec 2022
- Michael HARTUNG
- Dec 9, 2022
- 4 min read
Updated: Dec 11, 2022
The weather for Thursday night into Friday 9 December 2022, was less than ideal for Gibraltar Airport arrivals and departures. On Thursday night EZY6299, easyJet's flight from Bristol was diverted to Malaga due to dangerous weather conditions. I was following MeteoGib on twitter for their updates to see how Friday's weather would play out since I had family flying out on the Edinburgh flight in the morning.
The convenience of having an International Airport at our front door, can often lead to an inconvenience of flight delays and diversions due to the weather.
I had some family members that were to take flight EZY6934 from Gibraltar to Edinburgh, so I went to the airport Friday morning, so I could watch the plane land/depart from the viewing platform. I arrived earlier enough in anticipation to see the LGW flight landing and film that one as well. That didn't happen, as I was entering the terminal and checking my phone I noted the flight had been diverted to Malaga.
I grabbed a coffee and settled in to look out over the runway and The Rock, and follow the Edinburgh flight on Flightradar24 as it soared over Cordoba. Normally, I watch Flightradar24 from home, and when the plane sets off the coast of Spain toward Gibraltar is when I leave my house to go watch the landings.
Today, I was keeping close tabs on the Edinburgh flight so as to keep my family updated. I was planning on creating a nice video for them as a memory for their trip. I love capturing video of the planes at Gibraltar, especially when I know someone who's on one of the planes.
As I watched aircraft G-UZLD flying over Spain, I noticed its elevation quickly declining as it was edging nearer to Malaga. I had a good feeling it was going to be diverted and just then there was an announcement in the Gibraltar Airport Terminal that Flight EZY6934 was being diverted to Malaga due to weather conditions.
I left the airport and headed back over to Spain before another bout of rain set in. The rain seemed to be sweeping in droves, in between gusts and gales of wind. Fun fact, I have an aunt named Stormy Gale, I guess these are the days she is named after.
I got home in time to see that the LGW and the EDI flight would both depart out of Malaga. Sometimes, weather conditions clear just enough here at Gibraltar, that the diverted flights can make their way down the coast and land safely, but today that wouldn't be the case. Check out the following videos from 4 October 2022, when several diverted flights to Malaga came in for swift landings and departures at Gibraltar between some heavy fog. (Here is a link to the article for that day's flights here: https://bit.ly/foggylandingGibraltarAirport)
Passengers for the Edinburgh flight were scurried across the border to Spain to catch a bus headed for the Malaga Airport (as I'm sure were the ones for the LGW flight). This all happened when a deluge of rain was upon the airport and border leaving them rain soaked.
Jose Joaquin, a La Linea resident and passenger for the Edinburgh flight, explained: "The bus is in Spain, so we had to go from the airport, through the border to the other side of the border to take the bus. It rained massively seems like I'm already in Edinburgh."
Gibraltar Airport can often experience substantial and quick changing weather conditions. Located at The Strait of Gibraltar, connecting the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean, and with a short 7-8 mile span between the European and African Continents will often create drastic and changing weather conditions. Because of the quickly changing weather, both in the sky and on the ground, flights are diverted to Malaga when they cannot safely land at Gibraltar.
When weather conditions pose a threat to the safety of planes landing at Gibraltar and they are diverted to Malaga, the airlines and airport have a plan in place to bus passengers between both airports. This inconvenience might be overshadowed by the often times more convenient factor of having an airport within walking distance of many of the people that live in the area.
Because the Gibraltar Airport is small and centrally located on the border with Spain, it provides easy access for those living in Gibraltar, and those living in Campo de Gibraltar, the area in Spain surrounding the border with Gibraltar. The convenience of the small airport makes it easy to get in and out of quickly, get around Gibraltar, and into and around Spain.
The inconvenience comes on days like today when Mother Nature blows here breath through the Pillars of Hercules. We can rest assured the airlines and the grounds crew at Gibraltar have the passengers safety 100% in mind. The diversions today are a good reminder of how those who make the airport work each day, put the safety of passengers and crew as priority.
Despite the travel by bus for those landed at Malaga airport, and those leaving Gibraltar Airport, all will make it to their homes and destinations without a scary incident occurring at Gibraltar because of the wind and rain.
Having Gibraltar airport so close at hand as a gateway to the world is convenient and for me a privilege, knowing I can be in London in a few hours and back to the States 8 hours later if need be. With the convenience sometimes comes the inconvenience of the diversions, but we can all be thankful that everyone is safe and we all have the opportunity to fly another day!
Thanks for reading and be sure to take a look at some of my other articles reporting on and about the Gibraltar Airport. Check out this short documentary about the Road on the Runway at Gibraltar Airport. Be sure to check out Ministry of Flight on Youtube for full 4K videos of planes landing and departing at Gibraltar Airport.
Final note: For the record, this channel is not affiliated with any government entity, it's just a name I made up. I am just a freelance content creator and I like airplanes, Gibraltar and Spain.
12 If you have any questions email me at thespaingibraltarchannel@gmail.com
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