Spain's airport operator Aena cancels or delays 50 flights in Barcelona

Spain's airport operator Aena said on Monday 50 flights due to take off from Barcelona's El Prat airport were cancelled or severely delayed after a rainstorm hit the area.

The airport operator diverted 17 flights that were due to land at El Prat on Monday morning to alternative airports, Aena said on its X account.

A rain and hail storm hit the Barcelona area in eastern Spain on Monday, less than a week after the country's worst flash floods killed at least 217 people in the Valencia region, 300 kilometres (186 miles) to the south.

The rain stopped late on Monday morning and the airport was operating again, a spokesperson told Reuters.

Catalonia's urban train services were also cancelled, Transport Minister Oscar Puente said in a post on his X account.