Britons warned as Barcelona airport faces major disruptions with major airlines warning 'delays to be expected'

Barcelona-El Prat Airport has experienced numerous flight diversions, cancellations, and substantial delays.

Óscar Puente, Spain's transport minister, has established a crisis committee to monitor the situation at the travel hub. The committee will assess the impact of the disruptions.

Flooding has been reported in parts of the airport, including the public area of Terminal 1, with adverse weather also impacting local transportation.

Rail services were also suspended and nearby motorways flooded, further complicating travel for affected passengers.

The deadly storm led to the suspension of 70 departing flights and the diversion of another 18 at Barcelona-El Prat Airport, according to operator Aena.

EasyJet, which serves Barcelona from eight UK airports, advised customers against all but essential travel to and from Barcelona due to the severe weather conditions.

The budget airline said: "We have been advised that customers are receiving information to warn against all but essential travel to and from Barcelona due to severe weather conditions. We are planning on operating our flights as normal, although delays are to be expected."

easyJet reported yesterday that a flight from Barcelona to Gatwick is expected to be delayed by over three and a half hours.

British Airways also faced substantial disruptions, with at least six of its nine flights from Barcelona to Heathrow affected on Monday.

One British Airways flight experienced a delay of three-and-a-half hours, while other outbound flights were cancelled or severely delayed.

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The rain and hail storm that hit Barcelona on Monday follows devastating flash floods in the Valencia region last week, which resulted in at least 217 deaths.

Spain's Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, described the flooding as "the worst natural disaster in Spain’s recent history".

By late Monday morning, the rain had ceased, allowing Barcelona airport to resume operations. However, Catalonia's urban rail services remained cancelled, according to Transport Minister Óscar Puente.

Travellers are advised to check with their airlines for the latest updates on flight schedules and potential disruptions.