What happened at Fuerteventura airport?
An easyJet Airbus A319 bound for London Luton stood at the start of runway 01 on Thursday, ready to take off. At that moment a light aircraft landed from the opposite direction on the same runway, according to Noticias Fuerteventura (an island news outlet).
The source is the website Lanzarote Web Cam, which posted a video on social media. It is not an official complaint from AENA (the state airport operator), AESA (the air safety agency) or a union.
Noticias Fuerteventura writes that there was no incident and no damage. The report appeared on 31 October 2026 without an exact date, but Thursday 29 October is the likely day.
Several basics are unknown: the time, the easyJet flight number, and the type and owner of the light aircraft. Nor is it clear whether the tower, the pilots or ground procedures caused the situation.
What changes for passengers at Fuerteventura airport?
For travellers, nothing changes. No closures, cancelled flights, new rules, prices or deadlines linked to the incident have been reported.
Anyone flying from Fuerteventura in the coming days has no reason to rebook. Check your flight status with your airline as usual.
AENA, ENAIRE (the public air traffic provider), SAERCO (the private firm running the tower) and easyJet have issued no statement. Nothing from AESA or the Canary media had appeared by 2 November either.
If a flight is cancelled or delayed because of an incident, RTVC (the Canary Islands public broadcaster) lists the general rights: a refund or rebooking. Depending on distance, compensation of up to 600 euros can also apply, but that has nothing to do with this incident.
Has a similar case happened in the Canary Islands before?
A Ryanair plane ended up in a similar situation at César Manrique-Lanzarote airport on 28 September 2026, reports Diario de Avisos. Flight FR5910 from Dublin landed on runway 03 just as Iberia Express IB1502 taxied on via exit E1 for take-off from runway 21.
A third aircraft on approach could not land because the runway was occupied. The Ryanair kept rolling and left the runway via exit E2.
The air traffic controllers’ union published a video and said Lanzarote works with “eight controllers fewer than needed”. Diario de Avisos notes that this claim alone does not prove a cause.
Noticias Fuerteventura writes that AESA formally investigated the Lanzarote case. Diario de Avisos says only that the agency must investigate, so neither a procedure nor a result is confirmed.
Who is responsible for the airport and the control tower?
AENA runs Fuerteventura airport, and the transport ministry under minister Óscar Puente oversees it. The Cabildo (the island government) has no responsibility for it and can only make demands.
The tower is run by the private firm SAERCO, not by ENAIRE. On 10 October 2025 Cabildo president Lola García wrote to Puente again, demanding that quality in the tower be guaranteed.
According to RTVC, SAERCO admitted it could not meet the agreed working conditions, which affects safety and stability. García also criticised the airport’s outdoor areas, which she said were in an “evident state of neglect”.
The Cabildo and the controllers’ union USCA demanded that public management be kept until a lasting solution is found. No source links this dispute to Thursday’s incident.
How busy is the airport, and what happens next?
Fuerteventura airport handled 6,886,935 passengers in 2025, 6.8% more than in 2024, according to AENA. That is the strongest growth among the Canary airports, which together handled 54,753,915 passengers.
USCA and CCOO called an indefinite strike at the SAERCO towers from 17 April 2026, reports RTVC. It affects nine Spanish airports, including Fuerteventura, Lanzarote, El Hierro and La Palma.
Staff complained of cancelled holidays, excessive on-call duty and shift changes announced at short notice. Minimum services of 100% at the Canary airports left the strike almost without effect.
No dates are announced for an AESA statement or for an investigation by the CIAIAC (the Spanish commission for civil aviation accidents and incidents). Whether any procedure is under way is unconfirmed.