An incident on landing of a flight from Dublin forces several aborted maneuvers at Palma airport

PalmaAn aircraft from Dublin caused operational incidents at Palma Airport last weekend after the crew alerted of a possible problem in one of the engines and decided to abort the first landing attempt on runway 24L, considering the approach unstable.

According to air traffic controllers, who reported through their X profile, from the control tower it was observed that the aircraft might have suffered a tailstrike, an incident that occurs when the rear of the fuselage touches the runway during takeoff or landing. Subsequent inspection confirmed the presence of debris on the runway, which forced its temporary closure.

While maintenance teams and cleaning services removed the fragments, several aircraft approaching the same runway had to interrupt their landing and take off again. The other flights were redirected to runway 24R, usually used for takeoffs.

However, the affected aircraft declared a 'PAN PAN' situation, a communication indicating an emergency situation that does not pose an immediate threat to the lives of the occupants. To expedite its landing, controllers ordered the preceding aircraft to abort its maneuver and coordinated the operation with the airport's firefighters and technical teams.

After landing on runway 24R, the aircraft remained stopped for a few moments, leaving both runways at Son Sant Joan momentarily out of service. In parallel, another crew reported having the minimum recommended fuel, although it was not an emergency and did not require priority. The rapid intervention of airport services allowed the debris to be removed from runway 24L and normality to be progressively restored. Subsequently, runway 24R was also reopened, and the airport's operations returned to normal functioning with both parallel runways available.