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AFP
Madrid
Airports on Spain’s Canary Islands were closed again on Sunday after a sandstorm hit the archipelago, airport authorities said.
Air travel was first disrupted on the archipelago on Saturday after strong winds carrying red sand from the Sahara shrouded the tourist hotspot, forcing flights to and from the islands of Gran Canaria and Tenerife to be cancelled or diverted.
Some flights briefly resumed Sunday morning before Spanish airport operator AENA was forced to close all eight airports in the Canaries -- the three in Gran Canaria and Tenerife as well as five others. AENA said flights were being diverted to mainland Spain as well as to Cape Verde, Morocco, Mauritania and Portugal.
In a tweet, Transport Minister Jose Luis Abalos thanked these countries for their “solidarity” and said air transport professionals “do not remember such adverse weather for air transport in the Canary Islands.” The regional government declared a state of alert on Saturday and advised people to keep doors and windows closed, avoid non-essential car travel and stay away from coastal areas.
Madrid
Airports on Spain’s Canary Islands were closed again on Sunday after a sandstorm hit the archipelago, airport authorities said.
Air travel was first disrupted on the archipelago on Saturday after strong winds carrying red sand from the Sahara shrouded the tourist hotspot, forcing flights to and from the islands of Gran Canaria and Tenerife to be cancelled or diverted.
Some flights briefly resumed Sunday morning before Spanish airport operator AENA was forced to close all eight airports in the Canaries -- the three in Gran Canaria and Tenerife as well as five others. AENA said flights were being diverted to mainland Spain as well as to Cape Verde, Morocco, Mauritania and Portugal.
In a tweet, Transport Minister Jose Luis Abalos thanked these countries for their “solidarity” and said air transport professionals “do not remember such adverse weather for air transport in the Canary Islands.” The regional government declared a state of alert on Saturday and advised people to keep doors and windows closed, avoid non-essential car travel and stay away from coastal areas.
