Pilot shows what it's like to land at Spanish airport in red-level storm

A pilot has shared the moment he landed a plane at a Spanish airport as the the area is battered by red-level storms. Despite being targeted by heavy rain and strong winds, the aircraft successfully descended onto Runway 12 at Malaga Airport.

The video, which was reportedly filmed by a passenger in the cockpit, shows the severity of the storm. Rain can be seen hammering down onto the window. As the aircraft’s altitude lowers, the camera moves to show the ground below.

The flooding appears catastrophic. Trees seem to be barely above the water after a surge in the River Guadalhorce sent water crashing close to the airport. The video was filmed on 13 November.

As of yesterday afternoon, only one flight was cancelled and five have been diverted, including from Krakow, Zurich, Frankfurt and Paris. Malaga Airport’s website showed no arrivals to be listed for the evening.

The last flight was shown as landing at 6.22pm local time. Scheduled departures out of the airport were also cancelled yesterday. Aena, the national airport operator, has advised passengers to check with their airlines for any updates before travelling to the airport.

Residents have been advised to refrain from any unnecessary travel after the Spanish State Meteorological Agency issued a red alert. Up to 120mm of rainfall is expected in Malaga, Guadalhorce Valley and Axarquía. The metro and public transport services have been suspended until further notice in Malaga.

New storms in Spain have caused school closures and train cancellations, two weeks after flash floods in the Valencia region killed more than 220 people and destroyed thousands of homes. Coastal areas of Valencia were placed under the highest alert on Wednesday evening, with forecasters warning up to 180mm (7in) of rain could fall there within five hours.

Clean-up efforts in parts of Valencia hardest hit by the October 29 storm are continuing, and there are concerns over what more rain could bring to streets still covered with mud and debris. In southern Malaga province, streets were flooded while 3,000 people near the Guadalhorce river were moved from their homes as a preventative measure.

Schools across the province were closed, along with many stores. Train services were cancelled between Malaga and Madrid, and between Barcelona and Valencia. Valencia’s regional government also restricted the use of private vehicles until Thursday in areas hit by the October storm, when tsunami-like floods caused cars to be washed away.

There were no reports of deaths due to the new storms. Spanish weather forecaster AEMET put Malaga on red alert, saying up to 70mm (3in) of rain had accumulated in an hour. Parts of Tarragona province in the east also faced heavy rain and remained under red alert.

The forecast in Malaga delayed the start of the Billie Jean King Cup tennis finals between Spain and Poland, which was set for Wednesday. The storm system affecting Spain is caused by warm air that collides with stagnant cold air and forms powerful rain clouds. Experts say that drought and flood cycles are increasing with climate change.