Malaga Airport diverted by an unusual visitor

Recent air traffic controllers in Malaga had an unusual day. They were forced to redirect traffic and request that certain flights take a different approach because of two strange incidents.

Air traffic controllers posted on X that the first occurrence occurred just before 10:00pm on Wednesday, 20 August, when a large injured flamingo appeared on runway 31. A sudden visitor forced some flights to change plans. This included a Ryanair from Nottingham (EMA), to Malaga(AGP), as well as a WizzAir flight from London Gatwick, to Malaga(AGP). They were both affected and had to delay their flights and adjust their routes. After the incident was resolved, normal operation resumed. The controllers expressed optimism, saying “We hope the animals recovers without complications.”

Depending on the species, an adult flamingo can be anywhere between 1.5 and 2 metres tall. It also weighs from 6 to 8 kilograms. Males are slightly heavier and larger than females. This is a situation that Captain Sully wouldn’t want to face.

A second incident occurred shortly after. The runway 12 was closed due to an aircraft landing with a punctured tyre. No injuries were reported and firefighters were sent to assess. The controllers were forced to switch operations from the runway 12 to the runway 13. The controllers again instructed several flights to perform the go-around maneuver and reposition themselves for a safe landing on runway 13.

These incidents remind us of the challenges that air traffic controllers face in Malaga Airport to maintain safety and efficiency, even under unforeseeable circumstances.