There was panic at Mallorca’s Palma Airport on Tuesday afternoon when part of the roof collapsed in the arrivals lounge.
Glass and other construction debris plummeted to the floor at around 4.30pm local time to the horror of passengers and staff.
Incredibly, no one was injured.
Security and airport personnel cordoned off the affected area, calmed the crowd and redirected passengers who had just arrived at the island’s only commercial airport.
Marian Colmillo of Aeropuertos Españoles y Navegación Aérea (AENA), the state-owned company that manages and operates the majority of airports and air navigation systems in Spain, told The Independent: “A piece of debris fell onto the glass roof of a small area at one of the entrances to the arrivals hall, causing the glass to break.
“The airport is currently analysing the incident in order to take any appropriate measures and, if necessary, determine responsibility.
“No personal injuries have been reported, and airport operations have not been affected at any time.”
According to local media, the incident is not an isolated one, and occurs against a “background of complaints about building work by airport employees” and “an alleged lack of safety measures”.
Renovation works at the airport have been criticised, with dust entering the terminal in January, prompting complaints by staff and passengers.
One staff member told local press: “Neither employees or passengers could breathe and many people were slipping because of the dust on the ground.
“Having to work in these sorts of conditions is disgraceful.”
And in May, major flooding at the airport resulted in the closure of the check-in area.
Work began at the airport in 2022 and is expected to be completed in 2026 with a global budget of €550 million.
