Vueling Faces Inquiry Over Barcelona Flight Chaos

Vueling faces an inquiry and possible fine after cancellations and delays that have stranded more than 8,000 passengers at Barcelona's El Prat airport since Friday, the Spanish government said.

The problems cast a cloud over what is expected to be a bumper tourist season as Spain prepares to receive more visitors this year, partly because of security concerns at destinations such as Turkey, Egypt and Tunisia.

Vueling, part of British Airways and Iberia's parent group IAG, cancelled 14 flights on Sunday alone. A company statement said it brought in extra staff to cope with "operational difficulties" but gave no further details.

Spain's public works ministry said it could fine Vueling over its handling of the travel chaos. Spanish media reported that there had been 46 flights cancelled since Thursday, with delays stretching to 12 hours.

"Vueling cannot get out of what happened this weekend for free," Minister Ana Pastor told Spanish radio. "In this country, to annoy passengers entails an inquiry that can lead to a sanction."

It would not be the first time the government has punished Vueling for delays. Spain's civil aviation agency fined the airline a little more than EUR€1 million in 2004 for failing to adhere to arrival and departure slots.

The local government of the Catalonia region said it would also hold an inquiry into Barcelona-based Vueling, which operates 40 percent of all flights at El Prat airport.

"We demand that the company changes its attitude to resolve the problems affecting its operations," it said in a statement.

With the increased demand for travel to Spain, Vueling has added more capacity to Spanish destinations on routes from other European cities. It expects passenger numbers to rise to 28 million this year from 24 million in 2015.