THIS is the dramatic moment the pilot of a packed passenger jet aborts his landing during the storm that brought chaos to Majorca’s Palma Airport.
He was a split-second from touching down on the sodden tarmac when he decided instead to head back towards the skies for the safety of those on board.
A plane appears to be approaching a tarmac at Palma airportSolarpix
The aircraft decides to abort the landing at a last second and lifts off againSolarpix
Airport workers seen wading through knee-high floods
SolarpixA man was trapped inside his car after it got stuck in flooded waters[/caption]
SolarpixImages show a dramatic rescue operation by helicopter in Murcia[/caption]
The nerve-wracking clip shows the jet approaching the drowned tarmac at the flood-stricken island.
But as the aircraft appears to be seconds away from touching down on the ground, it lifts off back into the sky.
An onlooker thought to be an airport worker could be overheard saying in Spanish: “He’s terrified, he’s s**t his pants,” as he witnessed the pilot’s last-minute change of heart.
Runways of the Palma de Mallorca airport were seen submerged underwater as torrential rains battered the holiday hotspot on Tuesday.
Airport bosses halted all operations after the severe flooding turned the airport’s runway into a river.
The suspension, which was in place from 3pm Tuesday till around 5.30pm local time, sparked a travel mayhem.
Holidaymakers were left stranded after the cancellation or diversion of the 100 planes due to land or take off from the airport that day.
Air traffic controllers at the airport said the freak weather had left pilots facing almost “zero visibility” when they came in to land.
The eye of the storm formed in the airport’s landing area at the entrance to Majorca.
Air traffic controllers’ spokeswoman Beatriz Gonzalez told local press: “It wasn’t just that the condition of the runway, which was completely flooded, was making landings risky and complicated, but also that visibility for the pilots was practically zero.
“They were telling us they couldn’t even see the runway.”
The airport officials said they had to activate its “emergency plan” after 3.5inches of water fell in less than an hour.
Pictures showed planes grounded on the swamped tarmac while the airport workers were seen wading through knee-high floods.
Frustrated travellers were pictured sheltering from the rains inside the airport which welcomes around 30million passengers each year.
The deluge was expected to continue into Wednesday with yellow weather warnings in place for Majorca and neighbouring party islands of Ibiza and Magaluf.
Floods have also hit other holiday hotspots in Costa Blanca, including Benidorm, Valencia and Alicante.
In Murcia, a man was trapped in his car after it got stuck in flood waters.
Dramatic footage shows emergency workers removing the roof of the vehicle and pulling the man out with the help of a helicopter.
Barcelona‘s El Prat airport had to close its duty free shops on the same day. It was due to reopen today following damage assessment.
Airport workers have also complained car park flooding has left them unable to start their cars.
Hailstones have fallen in parts of eastern and south-east Spain and in the far north snow in a madcap 48 hours.
And in San Antonio in Ibiza the gutters overflowed in some parts of the town, leaving holidaymakers having to step over human waste.
Spain is still gripping with the aftermath of the storm as clean-up operations were continuing today.
The downpour finally subsided by Thursday with no more rainfall forecast by AEMet, Spain’s Meteorological Agency.
British tourists headed back to the beaches after the rain was replaced by sunshine in Magaluf.
Temperatures at 1pm today in Magaluf were up to an impressive 23 degrees Celsius and bar owners were doing a brisk trade on the seafront under a blue sky.
It was a similar situation on the Costa Blanca in places like Benidorm where the popular holiday area has also been battered by heavy rain.
SolarpixClean-up operations were underway in parts of Spain[/caption]
SolarpixThe aftermath of the severe weather in the last 48 hours in Spain[/caption]
SolarpixPlanes grounded at Palma de Mallorca airport following torrential rains[/caption]
One worker was seen diving in the water
The streets of Murcia as cars became stranded after the heavy stormsSolarpix