Satellite images show the enormous plume of dust stretching from the Sahara that has blanketed the Canary Islands forcing hundreds of flights to be cancelled and throwing travel plans into chaos for thousands.
All flights to the islands were cancelled at midday today by Spain's airport operator AENA due to poor visibility, and departures were also suspended. As many as 230 flights were suspended last night while at least 19 planes had to be diverted due to the storm.
British holidaymakers are stranded at airports in the Canary Islands as flights are grounded for the foreseeable future, with many on their way back from half-term breaks.
Many waited to find out whether their flight would be cancelled and passengers have posted photographs of people sitting on the floor waiting for more information.
Customer service staff for the airports said that while no planes are flying, airports have remained open for passengers.
One call centre worker said: 'People should contact their airline company to try and get accommodation for the night if their flight has been cancelled.'
Meanwhile in the UK, flights out to the Canary Islands are being delayed or cancelled due to the sandstorm.
Flights from Gran Canaria, Lanzarote, La Palma, North and South Tenerife Airports have been grounded due to the weather conditions.
The satellite clip shows the sandstorm stretching across the ocean from the Moroccan coast before reaching the Canary Islands yesterday. It has continued to hover over the islands today.
Another video also showed a Ryanair plane rocking as it attempted to land in the overcast conditions.
Greg Horsman, 29, was on holiday with his girlfriend and his friends on a Tui cruise and was due to fly home to Manchester on Saturday evening.
However, they have been forced to stay in Gran Canaria for another two nights due to the storm.
He said: 'It's frustrating. We're just ready to be home.
'Last night we were in the airport for five hours and I was frustrated because Tui couldn't help us or do anything until the airport declared that they were closed which they did at 10.30pm.
'Tui reps did give us updates when we asked but unfortunately it didn't seem they were getting much information quickly.
'We then spent the night there, most of us in our original cabins, then came back to the airport at 12.30pm and have been here since.
'We are being sent to a hotel tonight but we're not sure where we're going to yet.'
Elsewhere, Britons have posted photographs of the orange sky on the islands as the wind continued to batter seaside towns.
Michael Nixon, who is on holiday in Tenerife with his family to celebrate his 50th birthday and is due to fly home to Newcastle on Wednesday, said 'pink dust' had covered his rented apartment balcony.
He said: 'It's all a bit surreal. A heavy mist came in last night followed by very strong gusty winds during the night.
'This morning we awoke to yellowish haze and strong winds.
'We ventured out but it's difficult to see with all of the sand in the air.
'We are slightly concerned that our flight home on Wednesday could be affected.
'The sky is still yellow. It's around 29C (84F) but visibility is around 200m.'
Tim Crew, 69, had booked a holiday to Lanzarote with his family after cancelling their previous holiday to Hong Kong and Thailand because of the coronavirus outbreak.
Their BA flight out of Gatwick Airport on Sunday has been cancelled and the family has been booked into a hotel.
He said: 'It's one of those things really. If no one had talked to us and if there had been obvious problems and culpability, I'd probably be quite annoyed.
'But everyone's done the right thing. The pilot came out a few times and told us in person and apologised, saying they had no more news at the moment and they were going to send us to a hotel.
'It's not great, it's not how I planned it, it's not what I want, but these things happen.'
Shipping traffic has also been suspended around the islands, reports Spanish newspaper El Pais.
Spaced out landings were allowed at Tenerife Sur, Gran Canaria and Fuerteventura earlier this morning as Spain's national weather service warned of winds up to 75mph in the area until Monday.
Authorities have issued a red alert for the islands and advised those with respiratory problems to stay indoors. Schools will also be closed all day Monday in response to the storm.
Budget carrier Vueling, a subsidiary of IAG, said yesterday some of its services had been hit and advised passengers to check the status of their flights before heading to the airport.
Spain's air navigation manager tweeted this afternoon that it was working with other countries to ensure 'no planes take off towards Canaries'.
'Safety is our first priority,' they said. 'The lack of visibility and dust storm forces us to suspend, for security, the air traffic entering the Canary archipelago. We are working with Morocco to redirect planes that the Canaries cannot take due to bad weather.'
One resident heralded the storm as the worst she has experienced in 14 years of living on Fuertaventura. 'The sky has turned orange!', they said.
Authorities have issued a red alert for the area and encouraged residents to stay indoors if they have respiratory problems. The Ministry of Education has also announced that schools will be closed on Monday, reports El Pais.
Residents have shared photos of streets and beaches shrouded in orange dust on social media.
It comes as 250 residents on Gran Canaria evacuated themselves to the beaches, as fire swept through the area. Many were able to return to their homes this morning.
The regional government declared a state of alert and advised people to keep doors and windows closed across the archipelago, while authorities in Lanzarote's capital Arrecife, cancelled all outdoor activities, including some carnival celebrations.
Located around 60 miles off the coast of Morocco, the Canaries are a popular tourist destination for northern Europeans in search of winter sun.
This article has been adapted from its original source.
