Thunderstorms cause hundreds of flight delays at Heathrow and Gatwick
10 reported
Thunderstorms have caused severe delays to hundreds of flights at Heathrow and Gatwick airports, with some passengers stuck on grounded planes for hours in scorching heat. The stormy weather followed back-to-back days of 30C-plus weather as the UK and much of Europe experienced a record-breaking heatwave. The UK’s air traffic control service, Nats, said disruption was expected to continue through the rest of the day due to forecasted severe weather across the south-east of England. According to flight tracker FlightAware, at least 367 flights due to land or take off from Heathrow were delayed on Saturday and 352 in and out of Gatwick. Some travellers expressed frustration on social media, with one reporting being stuck on a grounded British Airways plane at Heathrow from 7am until noon. Delays also hit smaller airports including Leeds Bradford, Edinburgh, and London City.
What’s reported
Thunderstorms delayed more than 600 flights due to land or depart from Heathrow and Gatwick, some for more than six hours, while dozens more were cancelled.
One flight from Gatwick to Antalya scheduled to land in Turkey at 11:50am is now due in at 6pm.
Nats said disruption was expected to continue through the rest of the day due to forecasted severe weather across the south-east of England.
At least 367 flights due to land or take off from Heathrow were delayed on Saturday and 352 in and out of Gatwick, per FlightAware.
A passenger reported being stuck on a grounded British Airways plane at Heathrow from 7am until noon.
Another person said their daughter had been on an easyJet plane at Gatwick for four hours.
Twenty-nine-year-old Adam Joseph told BBC News he was stranded at Venice airport without air conditioning after his Gatwick-bound flight was delayed for at least four hours.
British Airways said it had to make adjustments due to air traffic control restrictions caused by adverse weather.
EasyJet said it pre-emptively cancelled some flights to and from Gatwick in advance over the thunderstorms.
Delays also hit Leeds Bradford (three departures delayed), Edinburgh (four arrivals and 15 departures delayed), and London City.
Key figures
Adam Joseph, passenger stranded at Venice airport
Nats, UK air traffic control service
British Airways, airline
EasyJet, airline
FlightAware, flight tracker
Sources: The Guardian
