Dozens of flights were delayed, diverted, and cancelled at Marseille Provence Airport on Saturday after a critical weather system failed, bringing air traffic to a standstill. The technical issue threw the day's flight schedule into disarray, affecting passengers travelling through one of France's busiest airports.
System failure halts operations
The disruption began at 6 am when a weather monitoring system that measures atmospheric pressure broke down in the airport control tower. The system is essential for guiding aircraft during landing and take-off. As reported by France 3 Provence-Alpes-Côte-d'Azur, the failure stopped the system from responding, forcing air traffic controllers to halt operations.
A spokesperson for the airport told Actu Marseille: "This is a critical and vital system for landing, and also for take-off, depending on the aircraft and airlines involved in civil aviation."
Flights cancelled and diverted
Two flights were cancelled: an Air France flight from Paris Charles de Gaulle and a flight from Nantes. Fifteen flights were diverted to other airports, including Nice, Lyon, and Montpellier. Of the 35 flights scheduled between 6 am and 10 am, 21 were able to take off but were delayed.
The airport said operations gradually returned to normal from around 10 am on Saturday. However, additional afternoon flights were delayed throughout the day on Saturday, August 22, due to the backlog.
Airport's significance
Marseille Provence Airport serves 34 airlines heading to over 131 destinations. With over 11.2 million passengers in 2025, the airport ranks as the fourth busiest in the country, after Paris-Charles-de-Gaulle Airport, Paris-Orly Airport, and Nice-Côte d'Azur Airport.
Marseille is also one of the most visited cities in France, hosting around 5 million tourists each year, according to the city council. The city is France's oldest, founded by the Greeks in 600 BC under the name Massalia, making it more than 2,600 years old.
