Travel
Dozens of flights cancelled at Gatwick Airport due to fog – with some easyJet flights impacted
Dozens of flights into and out of Gatwick Airport have been cancelled due to thick fog.
Budget airline easyJet said a number of its flights at the West Sussex airport were “unable to operate as planned” due to the “poor weather”.
It comes after the UK’s main air traffic control provider, Nats, said temporary restrictions would continue on Sunday because of low visibility at airfields.
Sky News understands Gatwick Airport currently has around 30 cancelled departures and 28 cancelled arrivals out of 769 flights on Sunday – the busiest day of the Christmas period for the airport.
The departures board on Gatwick’s website also showed delays for a large number of flights this afternoon.
A London Gatwick spokesperson said: “Temporary air traffic restrictions have been put in place due to fog causing poor visibility.
“Some flights may be delayed throughout the day. London Gatwick apologises for any inconvenience. Passengers should contact their airline for further information.”
An easyJet spokesperson said: “Due to ongoing poor weather conditions resulting in air traffic control restrictions and delays at London Gatwick today, some flights this evening are now unable to operate as planned.
“We are doing all we can to minimise the impact of the weather for our customers, providing options to rebook or a refund for cancelled flights, as well as hotel accommodation and meals where required.”
It urged customers travelling to and from London Gatwick to check its flight tracker for the latest information on flights.
The continued disruption follows two days of delays and cancellations at the UK’s busiest airports.
Tens of thousands of passengers saw their Christmas travel disrupted as thick fog descended on airports from London and Cardiff to Edinburgh and Teesside
Patches of thick fog could reduce visibility to just 100m in some areas, the Met Office said.
Kiera Quayle and her husband are still stuck on the Isle of Man after visiting his family for Christmas.
On Friday night, their easyJet flight back home was delayed and then cancelled due to Gatwick’s fog.
Their new flight is not scheduled to get them back to Gatwick until 5pm on Sunday.
“We’re lucky that we have family we can stay with, but it has been difficult organising travel and where we are staying,” she told Sky News.
“Luckily for us our neighbour has agreed to look after our cat for a few extra days, and we can swallow the extra car park charge at Gatwick,” she said.
The weather is expected to brighten around the UK later on Sunday, according to the Met Office, ahead of a blast of snow and rain towards New Year’s Eve.
The Met Office issued a yellow weather warning for snow and rain in Scotland next week, warning that heavy downpours may bring “significant disruption” in the build-up to Hogmanay.
Read more from Sky News:
Benjamin Netanyahu to have prostate removed
Champion boxer dies at 35
Model and actress Dayle Haddon dies
A yellow weather warning for wind has also been issued for northern England on Monday – with gusts of up to 60mph possible.
The warning is in place from 11am to 6pm and covers areas including Durham, Northumberland, Cumbria and North Yorkshire.