Tenerife South Airport departures: Are there delays to flights as Storm Nuria hits popular Canary Islands holiday destination

Tenerife South Airport, used by many tourists visiting the island, could be disrupted due to the strong winds. A red alert has been issued by Spain’s Met Office – AEMET – which wrote on X: ‘Storm Nuria will leave hurricane-force wind gusts, exceeding 130km/hr, between 5am and 5pm (Canary Islands time) on Thursday, April 3.

‘The danger is extraordinary. Extreme caution.’ The red alert means people and tourists have been urged to close their windows and doors to protect themselves from the strong winds. Other islands in the area have been issued with an orange alert, including northern parts of Gran Canaria.

At the moment there are few departure flights from the airport that are delayed. A Ryanair flight at 9:55am to Milan Malpensa has been delayed with a new departure time of 10:41am. All other departing flights are currently on schedule or are only around 10 minutes delayed.

For arrival flights, a 10am flight from Brussels is delayed. A 10:30am flight from London is also delayed and is expected to land at 11am. It is advised that passengers enquire with their airline regarding the status of their flight.

The Canary Islands usually enjoy warm temperatures this time of year around the 18°C mark. The State Meteorological Agency (AEMET) forecasts Thursday as a day of intense winds, hazardous coastal conditions, and heavy rainfall, particularly affecting Tenerife, the western islands, and Gran Canaria.

AEMET warns of precipitation accumulations of up to 15mm in just one hour, particularly in the western and mountainous regions of La Palma during the early afternoon. Similar downpours are anticipated in the midlands and highlands of La Gomera and El Hierro later in the day.