The Canary Islands have been pummelled with torrential rain and harsh weather. Areas of Gran Canaria are worst hit with streets filled with floodwater and roads covered in mud.
The Spanish islands off the coast of northwest Africa have long been a popular destination among British holidaymakers thanks to the family-friendly beach resorts lining sandy beaches, as well as magnificent volcanic landscapes and balmy weather that usually brings year-round warmth.
However, Gran Canaria was put under a “significant” orange weather warning for heavy rain on Tuesday, while much of the rest of the archipelago was subject to a yellow weather risk warning.
As of Tuesday night at 10pm, the Spanish weather service Aemet reported that there are no longer any weather warnings in force in the Canary Islands.
The severe rain and flooding caused the airport at Gran Canaria to briefly stop operations on Tuesday due to water on the runways, but both runways were back up and running by late afternoon.
A small number of flights were cancelled and many arrivals were diverted to Fuerteventura and Tenerife, but operations appear to be running smoothly as of Wednesday morning.
While the travel situation now appears to be stable, it is a good idea to know your rights are as a passenger if you are holidaying in the Canary Islands, or elsewhere in Europe.
What are my rights if my flight is cancelled?
As a passenger, you are covered by UK law if you are departing from an airport in the UK on any airline, arriving at an airport in the UK on an EU or UK airline, or arriving at an airport in the EU on a UK airline.
Airlines must provide you with care and assistance if your flight is cancelled, meaning they must supply you with food and drink (often provided in the form of vouchers), means for you to communicate (often by refunding call costs), accommodation if you are given a new flight the following day and transport to and from the accommodation or your home.
The airline must provide you with these items until it is able to fly you to your destination, no matter how long the delay lasts or what has caused it, the Civil Aviation Authority says.
Sometimes airlines are unable to arrange care and assistance if they are stretched during major disruptions, meaning you can arrange the care yourself and claim the cost back later by keeping receipts.
Simon Calder, travel correspondent at The Independent, says: “Whatever the cause of a cancellation, and regardless of the amount of notice that is given, you can insist upon replacement transport: the airline must get you to your destination as soon as possible if that is what you want.
“The UK Civil Aviation Authority says that means if a flight is available on the original day of travel, the passenger must be booked on it – even if it is on a rival carrier.”
Passengers can choose between getting an alternative flight or receiving a refund if their flight is cancelled.
If you recieved less than 14 days’ notice of a cancellation, you may also be able to claim compensation. However, this is unlikely if the cancellation was not the airline’s fault.
Situations such as extreme weather, strikes or other ‘extraordinary circumstances’ are not eligible for compensation.
Can I cancel my holiday and get a refund?
As the Foreign Office has not warned against non-essential travel to Spain, there will be no special circumstances in place that would entitle you to receive a full refund if you cancel a trip.
The conditions for cancelling your trip will be dependent on your holiday provider, so it’s best to contact them if you’re looking to postpone.
There is no obligation for companies to refund bookings if you want to cancel, and you will not be able to claim travel insurance due to safety concerns unless the Foreign Office advice changes.
In terms of travel insurance, some policies include natural disaster cover for an event that prevents you from reaching your holiday destination. Check your insurance policies and speak to your insurer to see where you stand.
For more travel news and advice, listen to Simon Calder’s podcast
