Power outage Spain, Portugal and France: Can travellers get compensation for flight delays?

A major power cut affecting Spain, Portugal and perhaps even parts of France too, has been causing travel disruption across Europe today (April 28). The outage has knocked out subway networks, phone lines, traffic lights and ATM machines.

Spanish generator Red Electrica said the incident had affected the Iberian peninsula and is being assessed, adding that restoring power to large parts of the country could take six to 10 hours. Such a widespread outage is rare.

The countries have a combined population of more 50 million people, but it was not immediately clear how many were affected. The Portuguese Cabinet convened an emergency meeting at the prime minister’s residence, and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez visited Red Electrica to follow efforts to restore power to the grid.

Spain’s public broadcaster, RTVE, said a major power outage hit several regions of the country just after midday local time, leaving its newsroom, Spain’s parliament in Madrid and subway stations across the country in the dark. A graph on Spain’s electricity network website showing demand across the country indicated a steep drop at around 12.15pm from 27,500MW to near 15,000MW.

In Portugal, a country of some 10.6 million people, the outage hit the capital, Lisbon, and surrounding areas, as well as northern and southern parts of the country. Portugal’s government said the incident appeared to stem from problems outside the country, an official told national news agency Lusa.

“It looks like it was a problem with the distribution network, apparently in Spain. It’s still being ascertained,” Cabinet Minister Leitao Amaro was quoted as saying.

Portuguese distributor E-Redes said the outage was due to “a problem with the European electricity system”, according to Portuguese newspaper Expresso. The company said it was compelled to cut power in specific areas to stabilise the network, according to Expresso.

E-Redes said parts of France also were affected.

Are you entitled to compensation for flight delays due to the power outages?

Alicia Hempsted, travel insurance expert at MoneySuperMarket has provided clarity about whether holidaymakers are entitled to compensation and is urging travellers to check their insurance policy documents.

Clarifying whether travellers are entitled to compensation from the airline in the case of the power outages, the answer is unfortunately no, according to Money Supermarket. They said: “Generally speaking, you are only entitled to compensation if your flight is delayed for more than three hours and if it was the airline’s fault. This does not include things that are outside of the airline’s control though - for example, a security risk or bad weather conditions, or in this case, a power issue.”

While travellers can challenge the airline’s definition of extraordinary circumstances through the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), it’s highly likely that an unprecedented power outage would qualify. This means affected travellers should turn to their travel insurance rather than their airline.

Money Sup[ermarket also say you may be able to make a claim through your travel insurance. Advice reads: “If your policy includes travel disruption cover then it may be possible to claim for disruption or losses incurred as a result of your trip being delayed or cancelled.

“However, it’s worth noting that not all policies cover this as standard, and cover levels, conditions and exclusions can vary between providers, making it important to check with your insurer as your first port of call.”

Alicia Hempsted, travel insurance expert at MoneySuperMarket said: “With multiple countries affected, passengers should prepare for ongoing disruption. Unfortunately, it’s unlikely to mean compensation as the cause is outside the control of airlines and holiday providers.

“That said, it is still worth talking to your airline representative as some airlines may be able to provide vouchers for things like food and drink at their discretion.

“You may also be covered under your travel insurance, so if your travel plans are affected, check your policy documents to understand what could be covered. It’s likely your insurers’ phone lines will be extremely busy however, so in the meantime be sure to save all receipts for any costs incurred as you may need these to make a claim.”

Although airlines may not be held accountable for refunds to passengers, they do have to offer help, according to Ivaylo Danailov, CEO at airline compensation specialists SkyRefund. He said: "In light of today's widespread power outage across Spain and Portugal, which has caused significant disruptions to air travel, passengers should be aware of their rights under EU Regulation 261/2004.

“While such outages are considered extraordinary circumstances—meaning airlines are not obligated to provide financial compensation—they are still required to offer assistance. This includes providing meals and refreshments for delays over two hours, accommodation and transport for overnight delays, and communication facilities.

“If your flight is cancelled, you are entitled to a choice between a full refund or alternative transportation to your final destination at the earliest opportunity. Should you incur any expenses due to the disruption, retain all receipts to facilitate reimbursement claims.”