Widespread travel chaos is unfolding at airports across the Iberian Peninsula as power networks across Spain and Portugal have failed, bringing both countries to a standstill. Not only is aviation affected, with public transport and transport infrastructure, domestic and commercial customers, and widespread access to the internet all said to be significantly affected by the outage.
At the time of writing (13:00 GMT), there has been no official word as to the cause of the outage or how long it might take to resolve the issue. The power failure was first reported at just after 13:00 local time in both Spain and Portugal, although it is understood that the Balearic and Canary Islands, and Madeira remain unaffected by the blackout.
As a result of the mass power failure, it is understood that a ground stop to all airline departures has been ordered at several airports across the region, including Lisbon, Madrid, and Barcelona airports, where all departing flights are grounded until further notice.
At Lisbon Airport (LIS), there is a zero rate for arrivals to avoid overcrowding in the already packed terminals. At Barcelona-El Prat Airport (BCN), the arrivals landing rate has been reduced by 50%, whereas at Madrid-Barajas Airport (MAD), the arrivals landing rate has been reduced by up to 60%.
Portuguese carrier TAP Air Portugal said: “Due to the power cut in several European countries, the operation of airports is temporarily very limited. TAP requests that you do not go to the airport until further information.” Lisbon Airport reportedly told passengers to leave and contact their airline provider, although the airport has not yet given an official update.
Aena, which manages the largest airports in Spain, posted on its social media channels that, “Due to the power outage, some incidents are occurring at Spanish airports. Contingency generators are active. Check with your airline, as there may be issues with access and ground transportation.”
“Power has not yet been restored to Barajas Airport,” El Mundo says. The airport handled 66.2 million passengers in 2024, making it the busiest air travel gateway in Spain.
While some of the airports affected by the power failure have been able to partially restore power supplies through the use of onsite generators, the power failure is likely to cause significant disruption to aviation for possibly days to come, due to knock-on effects following flight delays and cancellations.
Spanish airport operator Aena said: “Due to the power outage, some incidents are occurring at the airports. Contingency generators are active. Please check with your airline, as there may be disruptions to access and ground transportation.”
The cause of the Spain power outage on April 28, 2025, is still under investigation by the national electricity supply company Red Eléctrica. It said the outage has affected major cities, disrupting transport and communication, with metro systems being evacuated as a safety precaution.
According to Reuters, the Spanish and Portuguese governments have both convened emergency cabinet meetings after the outage, which also briefly affected a part of France (Andorra), which borders northeastern Spain.
Portugal’s utility REN confirmed a cut in electricity across the Iberian Peninsula that also affected part of France, while Spanish grid operator Red Electrica said it was working with regional energy companies to restore power. “All plans for the phased restoration of energy supply are being activated, in coordination with European energy producers and operators,” a REN spokesperson said.
“REN is in permanent contact with official entities, namely the National Civil Protection Authority. At the same time, the possible causes of this incident are being assessed.”
The incident comes just weeks after Europe’s busiest international airport at London-Heathrow (LHR), was closed for almost 24 hours following a major electrical failure caused by a fire in a local substation. In that case, it took several days for operations to return to normal, with aircraft, crews, and passengers all displaced by the event.
This is a developing story, so check back with AeroTime for further updates as they occur.
