Spain briefly closed some of its airspace on Friday when remnants of a Chinese missile flew over, disrupting air traffic in several cities, including Barcelona, officials said.
The Long March 5B (CZ-5B) rocket launched from southern China on Monday to provide the final module for the Chinese space station currently under construction.
In Catalonia and several other regions in the northeast, flights were "completely restricted due to the risk of space object CZ-5B passing through Spanish airspace," the Civil Protection Agency of Catalonia said.
The airspace closure, which began at 9:38am (0838 GMT), affected several other areas in northern Spain, she added.
Spanish airport operator AENA said flights to and from destinations including Barcelona, the Catalan capital, Tarragona, Reus in the Balearic Islands and Ibiza had been suspended as a result.
U.S. Space Command said in a tweet that debris from the rocket fell into the south-central Pacific Ocean at 11:01 a.m. Spanish time (1001 GMT).
When the rockets fall back to Earth, most of them burn up on reentry, although large chunks can survive.
