British holidaymakers bound for Majorca are being told they will fly to Palma tonight, albeit with lengthy flight delays.

Spanish authorities have allowed some flights to leave the airport since its earlier closure, and is expected to give the green light to further arrivals and departures this evening.

A British Airways spokesman told Times Online that it has been given an arrival slot at Palma and its 17.50 flight has left Gatwick, with a delay of ten minutes. "With a fair wind down we should be there on schedule," a spokesman told Times Online.

EasyJet has 13 flights scheduled into and out of Palma this evening. A spokesman said the carrier was confident all flights would operate today.

There are eight outbound flights from Gatwick, Belfast, Bristol, Luton, Stansted, Newcastle and Belfast and five inbound flights due to arrive from Majorca this evening.

A spokeswoman said at 8.30pm: "The airport is now open, but there is a backlog of flights. Our flights are now starting to depart, but we are experiencing 2-3 hour delays." The report was later refined to say four of its 13 flights suffered elays, the other nine left on schedule.

The port of Palma has also re-opened, reports website Cruise Critic reports - "Costa Concordia's arrived this afternoon and P&O getting ready to go. MSC & Thomson in port late anyway!"

At least 23 plane-loads of British holidaymakers were due to return this afternoon and this evening from Palma, many of whom will face lengthy flight delays.

Abta (Association of British Travel Agents) is advising holidaymakers bound for Majorca to go to the airport as planned this evening. "If there are any changes to your scheduled departure you will be updated by your tour operator or airline," the organisation said in a statement.

"If you are travelling over the next few days, please monitor the news and your tour operator and airline websites for further uptodate information. Tour operators and agents are liaising with local authorities in Mallorca to ensure minimum disruption to their customers' currently on holiday," it continued.

The bomb attack and flight disruption could not come at a worse time for the holiday island. The number of Britons holidaying in Spain this year is down 20 per cent and although Majorca has rallied well in the late booking market, it desperately needs more tourism.

Flights booking website skyscanner.net says flight searches from UK airports to Majorca have increased 33 per cent over the past 14 days. It's thought to be a reaction by Britons who are disappointed that the hot British summer forecast by the Met Office has failed to materialise. However, this bomb blast could temporarily affect bookings to the island.

The bomb explosion in Palmanova is the first fatal bomb attack in the Balearic Islands and comes a day after a massive car bomb in the northern Spanish city of Burgos injured more than 60 people. Spanish authorities blamed yesterday's attack on the Basque separatist group Eta.

The FCO gave news of the bomb on Twitter @ukinspain. Advice was immediately updated to include mention on the attack and to warn:

"There is a high threat from terrorism in Spain. Attacks could be indiscriminate, including in places frequented by expatriates and foreign travellers."

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