Foreign Office warns Brits there ‘may be travel disruption' to these two European countries
Foreign Office warns Brits there 'may be travel disruption' to these two European countries
Millions of people were left without mobile phone coverage and internet and there was huge disruption on the roads and public transport after a huge power cut
Hundreds of people have been stranded at Los Rodeos Airport due to the general blackout in Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain
(Image: Anadolu via Getty Images )
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office is urging people to plan ahead if they are due to visit Spain and Portugal, as power outages which affected Andorra, mainland Spain and mainland Portugal on Monday, April 28, have largely been resolved but are still causing some disruption.
The FCDO said: 'We are monitoring the situation. There may still be some travel disruption, check with your tour operator or airline for more information before travelling. Follow the advice of the local authorities and monitor local updates.'
Spain and Portugal were plunged into chaos as a massive power outage triggered an unprecedented state of emergency, causing widespread travel disruption and leaving thousands without mobile phone coverage or internet access. For our free daily briefing on the biggest issues facing the nation, sign up to the Wales Matters newsletter here .
The Iberian Peninsula was hit by the extraordinary blackout on Monday at approximately 12.30pm local time, with vast regions left without essential electricity services well into the night. The situation also caused significant distress for travellers to and from these popular holiday spots, prompting Spain to declare a state of emergency.
In response to the crisis, emergency services and railway staff in Spain had to assist in evacuating roughly 35,000 individuals from more than 100 trains halted due to the power failure. By 11pm, there were still passengers from 11 trains awaiting evacuation, according to Prime Minister Sánchez.
Eduardo Prieto, head of operations at Spanish power distributor Red Eléctrica, described the incident as "exceptional and extraordinary."
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Portugal's national grid operator has confirmed that power has been restored to 6.2 million of the 6.5 million affected households. Similarly, electricity supply has resumed in Spain, while officials continue their investigation into the root cause of the extensive blackout, reports the Mirror.
What caused the huge blackout?
The exact reason behind the massive power cut remains unclear, with authorities still investigating the abrupt collapse of the power grid that disrupted phone and internet services, as well as ATM access, across the Iberian Peninsula.
Eduardo Prieto, the head of operation services at Spain's national grid operator, REE, confirmed in a press briefing today that there were two "disconnection events" within seconds of each other prior to the blackout. He said: "Nothing leads us to believe that it could have been human error."
Meanwhile, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said electricity demand was normal and that capacities were robust, demanding a rapid inquiry into the private companies amidst the blackouts.
The Portuguese National Cybersecurity Centre has officially stated that there's no evidence suggesting a cyber attack was behind the outage.
What was affected?
Spain and Portugal witnessed major disruptions on Monday, as the power cut led to airport shutdowns, metro systems ceasing function, and ATMs going offline. Train services were hit hard with over 35,000 rail passengers facing cancellations yesterday.
Metros ground to a halt, mobile phone networks and internet access saw outages, and air traffic faced a standstill.
Chaos ensued on the streets as traffic lights went out, prompting police in Portugal to navigate traffic and set up roadblocks. Even parts of France experienced brief power interruptions.
The Madrid Open tennis tournament also faced disruption, with power cut impacts on scoreboards and broadcasting equipment.
Mobile phones and fibre optic networks are now back online in 90% of Spain, shared the Spanish Prime Minister.
Why was there a state of emergency in Spain?
Spain declared a state of emergency after experiencing the nationwide blackout, with cities including Madrid, Andalusia, and Extremadura urging the central government to maintain public order and regulate essential goods.
Despite the disruption, Spain's electricity provider, Red Eléctrica, announced that over 99% of power had been restored, with assurances from the prime minister that all 48 million residents would have electricity by the end of the day.
How many Brits were stranded?
Following the massive power outage, dozens of British holidaymakers were left stranded, struggling to return home on Tuesday as 25 flights were cancelled on Monday. Airlines hit by the cancellations included British Airways, easyJet, Ryanair, and TAP.
Travel chaos was felt across numerous UK airports, with five flights cancelled at Heathrow, four each at Bristol and Gatwick, three each at Luton and Manchester, and two at Stansted. Other airports like Aberdeen, Belfast, Birmingham, and Newcastle also faced cancellations.
Addressing the operational challenges posed by the blackouts in France, Spain, and Portugal, easyJet released a statement saying: "Power outages in Portugal and Spain are impacting access to some airports and affecting some airports' operations including Lisbon, Madrid and Barcelona.
"Like all airlines, we are experiencing some disruption to our flying programme meaning that some return flights from Lisbon and Madrid have been unable to operate," the airline commented. "Our flying programme at Porto and Faro airports is operating as planned."
What has returned?
Electricity has finally returned to the majority of homes in Spain and Portugal after a significant outage, although there remain extensive delays in train and flight services. The Portuguese grid operator confirmed that it was successful in restoring power to about 6.2 million of the 6.5 million affected homes.
Energy firm Ren has announced significant progress in reconnecting power, achieving operational status for "85 of the 89 substations and switching stations". In Spain, the nation's primary operator reported that it had managed to restore 99% of the electricity supply to consumers.
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