La Palma Airport in Santa Cruz, in the Canary Island with the same name, was briefly closed this Sunday afternoon (19 September) after a volcanic eruption in the Cumbre Vieja, the first one in 50 years in the Canary Islands.
Initially, two Binter Canarias ATR 72-600 aircraft diverted to Tenerife North. The manager of air navigation in Spain, Enaire, had issued the recommendation as a preventive measure that no flights depart to the island of La Palma.
The next scheduled plane to La Palma was a TUIfly Belgium Boeing 737-800 registered OO-JEF from Amsterdam on flight OR567. After taking different contradictory directions, the flight crew eventually decided to land at Santa Cruz despite the Enaire recommendation or after it was lifted.
After one hour on the ground, the TUI flight took off again to Tenerife South and Amsterdam.
Traffic has resumed normally at Santa Cruz de La Palma Airport, as the eruption is not in the vicinity of the airport.
