The ferocity of Storm Gloria forced ports in Barcelona, Valencia, Mahon, Ciutadella and Mpnorca to close for three days, leaving supermarkets short of supplies, especially perishable products.
Every day several Balearic and Trasmediterranean ferries arrive in the Balearic Islands, bringing all kinds of products and without those deliveries supermarkets and other shops ran out of essential items very quickly.
Most places had enough stock of dried goods so the decision was taken to use freighter airplanes to transport fresh produce to the Islands.
Between Sunday and Tuesday around 20 cargo planes delivered more than 300,000 kilos of food to Majorca, Ibiza and Minorca.
According to La Vanguardia newspaper, nine cargo planes flew in from Girona airport: three to Ibiza, five to Mahon and one to Palma. Another ten took off from Barcelona, two landed in Ibiza; three in Palma; and four in Mahon.
The newspapers says that one of the planes used to transport goods to the Islands was a huge Boeing 747-400 that flew from Barcelona to Palma with about 100 tons of perishables onboard.