Dense fog in the London area has caused severe disruption to a number of flights to and from London Heathrow and London City airports.
Many flights were delayed or even cancelled yesterday (Sunday, 20 November) when runways became enveloped in strong mist and fog. One hundred and thirty-two flights, including 50 British Airways’ flights, were cancelled on Sunday at Heathrow, according to the BBC. In addition a total of 58 arrivals had to be cancelled.
London City Airport had to cancel up to 44 flights on Sunday, as well as delaying many more due to the difficult weather conditions.
Heathrow is one of the busiest airports in the world and while the airport is open is severely hampered by the fact that air traffic control have been forced to slow down the intervals between landings in order to manage the bad weather.
The Met Office predicts that weather disruption to air travel will last until the middle of Monday before the fog lifts.
By 9am today at Heathrow, 37 arriving flights and 23 departures had been grounded. At London City, eight flights (five arrivals and three departures) were cancelled and two flights were diverted.
A statement on the Heathrow website says: “There are some cancellations today, due to weather conditions in the UK and Europe. Please check the status of your flight with your airline.”
London Gatwick and London Stansted – the other two major airports servicing London and the South East – reported that flights were operating as normal. Fog has also reportedly affected airports in Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands.
If you are flying from the London area today it is advisable to check with your airline for an exact update on the status of your flight. Passengers travelling to and from the airport by car are also being urged to take extra caution due to the fog when driving on the roads and to allow extra time for travel.
