Airport delays live: Fog continues to cause disruption at Gatwick with snow and rain weather warnings to come
Snow, rain and wind could hit parts of the UK from Monday, Met Office says
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Your support makes all the difference.Disruption caused by thick fog is expected to continue at Gatwick Airport until the end of the day on Sunday, the airport’s busiest day of the holiday period.
Nats, the UK’s main air traffic control provider, said temporary air restrictions were in place for the remainder of the day because of low visibility in airfields affected by fog.
One of the airport’s largest airline operators, easyJet, said on Sunday afternoon that a number of flights had been delayed or cancelled due to the knock on impact of delays caused by the weather.
It follows two days of disruption at the UK’s busiest airports, with Saturday’s flights at Stansted Airport affected by the murky conditions, while live departure boards showed delays at Heathrow, Luton, Gatwick and Manchester Airports.
Patches of thick fog could reduce visibility to just 100 metres in some areas, the Met Office said.
The Met Office has issued warnings for Monday and Tuesday - with up to 140mm of rain, 20cm of snow and 60mph winds possible in the worst-affected areas during the run-up to New Year’s Eve.
Met office chief says volatile week looking complicated to predict
Met Office chief forecaster Andy Page said the forecast for the upcoming week was “complicated” and urged people to check the forecast regularly in order to update their plans.
He said: “Almost the entire UK is covered by at least one weather warning during the coming week.
“With such a varied and complex weather situation, there is potential for the pattern of warnings to shift and possibly escalate in some areas.
“With lots of celebrations and people on the move over the coming days, we are urging everyone to keep checking the forecast so they can update their plans.”
Wales set for soggy start to New Year with potential flooding
Those hoping to travel on New Year’s Day should check road conditions and public transport updates before embarking on their journeys.
In Wales, the new year will be off to a soggy start as the majority of the country is likely to be drenched by up to 60mm of rain causing delays for road transport, potential power cuts and flooding.
20cm snow persistent expected
A yellow warning for “persistent snow” likely to cause travel disruption has been issued for Orkney and Shetland during Hogmanay.
The Met Office alert covers all of the islands and is in place from 5am all day on Tuesday.
Up to 20cm of snow are expected in the worst affected areas, mainly Mainland and Hoy, with 5 to 10cm predicted elsewhere.
Longer road journey times are likely as a result of difficult driving conditions, the forecaster warned.
Gatwick delays and diversions intensify
Delays and cancellations are building up at London Gatwick, the world’s busiest single-runway airport. Around 60 flights to and from Gatwick have been grounded, affecting an estimated 9,000 passengers.
While Sunday morning started with only some modest waits of up to an hour, by lunchtime the average delay extended to two hours. Some departures were five hours behind schedule, including easyJet to Aberdeen.
The biggest airline at Gatwick, easyJet, has so far cancelled flights to Edinburgh, Glasgow, the Isle of Man, Berlin (two services), Munich, Basel, Geneva, Zurich and Innsbruck.
One easyJet inbound flight from Nice diverted to Bournemouth.
British Airways has cancelled flights to Bordeaux, Gran Canaria, Jersey and Geneva, while Wizz Air grounded its departure to Larnaca in Cyprus.
The Spanish low-cost airline Vueling has once again cancelled some inbound flights, from Asturias, Malaga, Seville, Santiago and Barcelona, to avoid them being caught with long delays to land and return to Spain.
Norwegian did the same from Bergen, Copenhagen (two services), Oslo, Stavanger, Stockholm and Trondheim.
Swiss grounded its flight from Zurich, as did TAP Portugal from Porto.
Cancellations are likely to increase into the evening as crews reach their maximum permitted hours.
Hogmanay under threat with 25cm snow expected
For those celebrating Hogmanay, heavy downpours and snowfall may cause “significant disruption” across northern Scotland, with up to 140mm of rainfall on Monday and Tuesday.
Up to 20cm of snow may blanket areas of higher ground while strong winds have the potential to “exacerbate impacts”, creating “blizzard conditions” which could freeze powerlines.
A warning has also been issued for “persistent snow” likely to cause road disruption in Orkney and Shetland from 5am onwards on Tuesday.
The new year will be off to a turbulent start with separate weather warnings in place for snow, wind and rain on January 1.
Worst affected areas could be covered in up to 25cm of snow, including Central Tayside and Fife, the East Midlands, northern England and the Lothian borders.
Heathrow fog: What happens if my flight is cancelled?
Nearly whole of UK under weather alerts from Monday to Thursday
Heavy snow, rain and wind are set to hit the UK, causing travel disruption over New Year’s Eve and the majority of next week.
The Met Office has issued multiple weather warnings between Monday and Thursday, with nearly all of the country impacted by at least one alert.
In England and Northern Ireland, gusts of up to 70mph may lead to travel disruption on December 31, with delays to road, rail, air and ferry transport all likely, the forecaster has warned.
70mph winds expected to blast New Year’s Eve
The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning for winds of up to 70mph that may cause travel disruption on New Year’s Eve.
The alert, in place from 7am until 11pm on Tuesday, covers most of Northern Ireland, including Londonderry, Tyrone, Antrim and Armagh, as well as just north of York in England up to Glasgow, Edinburgh and Greenock.
Delays to transport are likely, with gusts of up to 60mph expected in most areas, the forecaster has warned.
Those affected should check road conditions for driving and the latest travel information as well as preparing for in advance for potential power cuts.
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