Flight disruption at the UK’s busiest airports is set to continue over the weekend amid heavy fog.
According to the Met Office, dense patches of fog may severely limit visibility to just 100 meters in certain areas today. Passengers are advised to verify with airports before embarking on travel.
Scotland is facing yellow rain warnings on Monday and Tuesday, signaling the persistence of adverse weather conditions into the following week. These alerts will take effect from midnight on Monday and extend for 48 hours.
Yesterday, airports such as Manchester and Gatwick experienced travel disruption due to “heavy fog,” resulting in over 100 flights being either delayed or canceled, leading to Christmas travel chaos.
‘It’s that time of year when people are travelling around the country a lot and there are a lot of people on the roads,’ Met Office meteorologist Liam Eslick said.
‘There is a lot of fog covering much of England, mainly the South East and central England, but the rest of the country is seeing quite a bit of thick fog too.
‘It will be pretty murky on Saturday morning and there will still be fog patches that will take a little longer to clear.’
Flights were delayed by up to three hours from Gatwick on Friday evening due to the thick fog.
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Large crowds form at Gatwick Airport overnight amid flight delays and cancellations
Passengers at Manchester Airport wait for their flights in Terminal 3 overnight
Traffic delays on the M6 motorway due to fog and large numbers of people traveling post Christmas
Fog is seen over Arsenal v Ipswich Town Premier League football match yesterday evening
A spokesperson for Nats, the UK’s main air traffic control provider, said on Friday: ‘Due to widespread fog, temporary air traffic restrictions are in place at several airports across the UK today. Restrictions of this sort are only ever applied to maintain safety.
‘We continue to monitor the situation and have a Met Office expert embedded within our operation to ensure we have the latest available information. Our teams are working closely with the airports and airlines to minimise disruption.’
Mr Eslick said the fog levels could sink a little lower on Saturday, so higher hills could be clearer.
The Met Office has advised motorists to go steady when they are driving in fog. But lingering low cloud should start to clear on Sunday, Mr Eslick said.
Some stronger winds are forecast on Sunday which ‘will pick up and turn over these cloudy and murky conditions to help clear the fog’, Mr Eslick added.
The murky conditions of late are less likely to return in the last couple of days of the year but people should not hold out hope for much winter sunshine.
‘It looks like it won’t be as dank and horrible (early next week) but it will still be wet and windy across much of the country,’ Mr Eslick said.
Travellers have been urged to check with their airline as air traffic restrictions are in place at several UK airports due to fog, the country’s main air traffic control (ATC) provider Nats said on Friday.
Some flights departing from Gatwick on Friday evening were delayed by up to three hours because of the fog.
People took to social media to complain about the flight chaos during the Christmas period
Manchester Airport shrouded in fog as many flights were delayed overnight
Travellers are being urged to check with their airline as air traffic restrictions are in place at several UK airports due to fog. Pictured: passengers queue at Manchester Airport
Live departure boards show around half a dozen flights set to leave Manchester Airport on Friday evening have been cancelled
Meanwhile, live departure boards showed around half a dozen flights were set to leave Manchester Airport on Friday evening but we cancelled.
One person wrote on X: ‘Returning home from a Christmas cruise with @pandocruises. Stuck at Tenerife Airport due to the severe fog at @Gatwick_Airport.
‘Flight delayed indefinitely. Lots of angry passengers but safety has to come first. The weather must be bad in #Sussex! Wonder when I’ll get home!’
Another said: ‘Why are all the flights from @Gatwick_Airport suddenly delayed? Our flight to #ZRH delayed by an hour. Many delayed 3hrs.
A third added: ‘We were told that flights have not departed before 4pm and there is a huge line now. We’re stuck on an airplane on the runaway in Naples and been told there might be a delay of up to 3hrs.’
One passenger inside Gatwick told MailOnline: ‘Had my flight to France cancelled last minute, staff couldn’t let us out of the airport as there was not enough crew for it.
‘Hundreds of families were super confused as of where to go because 4 other flights going to Belfast, Olso and elsewhere were cancelled at the same time.’
A look at the chaos inside Gatwick Airport this evening following delays
Tower Bridge can barely be seen behind HMS Belfast amid foggy weather in London
EasyJet said it is currently experiencing some disruption to its flying programme due to low visibility.
‘While this is outside of our control, we are doing all we can to minimise the impact of the delays,’ an EasyJet spokesperson said.
John Mitchell, 47, was desperate to get back to Aberdeen after finding out his father died on Friday morning.
Mr Mitchell, who had been in London visiting friends, booked a last-minute EasyJet flight from Gatwick Airport on Friday which was delayed for more than three hours due to the fog.
He said he was ‘absolutely devastated’ and hoped his flight which had been delayed until 10.53pm actually took off on Friday.
‘I was actually supposed to be in London till Sunday, but I’ve had a family bereavement. My dad passed away this morning,’ Mr Mitchell said.
Low-lying fog over Huddersfield in West Yorkshire as the dreary weather continues
A miserable and misty afternoon in the Oxfordshire countryside at Dunsden
A double-decker red bus is driven across Westminster Bridge during foggy weather
‘The flight I booked is for 7.35pm but is now estimated to leave at 10.53pm – nearly three-and-a-half hours late. I’m worried because Aberdeen airport has got restrictions for late flights. I’m absolutely devastated.’
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.’
Meanwhile, National Highways, which runs the UK’s motorways and busiest A-roads, said the misty weather is not having a significant impact on its network, but reminded motorists to use dipped headlights, wipers and demisters while driving in foggy conditions.
