Planes were grounded in Palma airport on Tuesday after torrential rain flooded the runways in Majorca.

The storm brought all activity to a halt at Spain’s third-biggest airport due to the “impossibility of operating safely”, operator Aena said in a statement.

The airport activated its emergency plan and flights to the island were temporarily re-routed to alternative airports, Transport Minister Oscar Puente said.

Mr Puente later said that the airport was resuming operations as the rain subsided.

National weather agency AEMET said its station at the airport recorded rainfall of nearly 5 centimetres (2 inches) per hour, with peaks of up to 9 cm in less than an hour.

Videos posted online showed water streaming from the ceiling of the airport’s shopping area, travellers in summer clothes drenched by water leaking through the windows and seeping out of buckets placed underneath. Others featured cars struggling to traverse a flooded parking lot.

Passenger traffic at Palma airport last year reached a record 31.1 million.

The Mediterranean island, known for its picturesque beaches and sunny weather, is one of Europe’s most visited destinations, especially popular with German and British tourists.