A major power outage caused widespread disruption across Spain and Portugal on Monday, halting train services and creating significant delays at airports.
At midnight, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez declared a state of emergency, which remains in effect today. Power has gradually been restored across both countries, with Red Eléctrica, Spain’s national grid operator, reporting that 99.16% of the country’s electricity supply has been restored. In Portugal, 6.2 million out of 6.5 million households now have power.
Although power has been largely restored, travel disruptions continue in both nations. Here’s an update on train services and flights in Spain and Portugal.
Flight Disruptions Persist as Power Returns
The power failure caused chaos at airports across Spain and Portugal on Monday. While airports remained operational using backup generators, nearly 200 flights, primarily to and from Lisbon, were cancelled.
Spain’s air traffic control services have returned to normal at the three major airports affected by the outage: Madrid, Barcelona, and Seville. However, flights from these airports are still facing cancellations and delays as operations gradually get back to normal. Travelers are advised to check the status of their flights with their airline before heading to the airport.
Lisbon airport is also experiencing cancellations and delays. The airport operator has urged passengers to confirm flight details with their airline before arriving.
EasyJet Offers Free Transfers for Stranded Passengers
EasyJet confirmed the disruption has impacted its operations in Lisbon, Madrid, and Barcelona. The airline reported that several return flights from Lisbon and Madrid could not operate due to the blackout, but flights from Porto and Faro airports are running as scheduled.
EasyJet has advised affected passengers to stay updated with travel alerts and flight trackers. The airline is offering free transfers within 72 hours or flight vouchers for those unable to travel.
Train Services Slowly Returning to Normal
Train services in Spain and Portugal were severely impacted by the power outage, and the effects are still being felt today. In Spain, emergency services rescued around 35,000 passengers who were stranded when trains and metro systems were brought to a halt.
Spanish rail operator Renfe announced that urban train services in Madrid will operate at 50% capacity today. High-speed and long-distance routes, including those between Madrid and major cities like Barcelona, Valencia, and Alicante, have resumed regular operations. Metro services in Madrid resumed partially at 8 a.m., with around 80% of trains expected to run during the morning rush hour.
Isabel Díaz Ayuso, President of Madrid’s regional government, confirmed on social media that all six transport interchanges in Madrid are operating normally and that EMT Madrid and Interurbanos buses will be fully operational throughout the day.
Portugal’s rail network also faced disruptions, though these were compounded by a national train strike, which had already suspended services on Monday. Despite some power outages in France, trains in the Basque Country were not significantly affected.
Travelers are advised to remain patient as services slowly return to normal.
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