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Hundreds of Heathrow and Gatwick flights delayed due to thunderstorms
🇬🇧 United Kingdom /Disasters & Emergencies

Hundreds of Heathrow and Gatwick flights delayed due to thunderstorms

From BBC News · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • Hundreds of flights at London's Heathrow and Gatwick airports faced delays and cancellations due to thunderstorms.
  • Up to six-hour delays were reported, with over 600 flights affected across the two hubs.
  • Air traffic control restrictions were put in place, and passengers expressed frustration over the significant disruption.

Thunderstorms have caused widespread disruption to flights at London's Heathrow and Gatwick airports, leading to delays of up to six hours and numerous cancellations. Over 600 flights in and out of the two major travel hubs have been impacted by the severe weather.

Due to thunderstorms in the south of the UK which is restricting the number of arrivals and departures today, like other airlines we are experiencing some disruption to our flying programme and have had to pre-emptively cancel some flights to and from Gatwick in advance.

— EasyjetAn airline statement explaining the reasons for flight cancellations and delays due to weather.

The UK's air traffic control service, NATS, confirmed that temporary restrictions were implemented due to the stormy conditions. These measures are expected to continue for the remainder of the day, affecting travel plans for thousands of passengers. The most significant air traffic control delays are occurring in the airspace between southeast England and northwestern Europe, where the storm clouds are concentrated.

My daughter has been sat on a plane at Gatwick for 4 hours and now you've cancelled the flight. She's on an Easyjet holiday. What should she do?

— X userA passenger expressing frustration on social media about a canceled flight after a long wait on the tarmac.

Passengers have voiced their frustration on social media. One traveler reported her daughter had been stuck on an Easyjet plane at Gatwick for four hours before her flight was ultimately canceled. Gatwick airport confirmed that air traffic control restrictions were put in place, while Easyjet apologized for the disruption, stating that the weather conditions were restricting arrivals and departures.

Due to ongoing thunderstorms across the network last night, temporary air traffic restrictions were put in place, which resulted in some flights being delayed and cancelled this morning.

— London Gatwick spokespersonAn airport spokesperson explaining the cause of flight disruptions.

"Due to thunderstorms in the south of the UK which is restricting the number of arrivals and departures today, like other airlines we are experiencing some disruption to our flying programme and have had to pre-emptively cancel some flights to and from Gatwick in advance," Easyjet said in a statement. The airline assured customers that it was doing everything possible to minimize the impact and was notifying passengers about rebooking options, refunds, and accommodation where necessary.

Weather disruption was expected to continue through the rest of the day after forecasted severe weather across the south east of England.

— NATSThe UK's air traffic control service providing an outlook on the expected duration of the disruptions.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by BBC News. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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