By Samantha Day • Published: 23 Feb 2020 • 22:58
A MAJOR sandstorm has sparked half-time holiday chaos, with ALL Gran Canaria flights grounded.
Hundreds of Brits have been forced to sleep at airports in the Canary Islands after a huge Saharan dust cloud visible from space turned the sky orange.
All flights at Gran Canaria airport have been suspended and outbound flights from Tenerife grounded.
A spokesperson from the Spanish airport operator AENA said at least 19 flights to Gran Canaria had been diverted but did not list all of the affected airlines.
According to the Spanish news agency EFE, Saturday’s air travel suspension hit nearly 230 arrivals.
TUI, Norweigan, Easyjet, Ryanair and Jet2 are among the airlines with disrupted flights.
Jet2 said on Twitter: “We are continuing to experience disruption to our flights to / from the Canary Islands due to adverse weather affecting the region.”
Spain’s national weather service warned that strong winds across the Canaries are set to last until Monday.
Authorities in Lanzarote’s capital, Arrecife, cancelled all outdoor activities including some carnival celebrations.
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