Hundreds of flights at London’s Heathrow and Gatwick airports have been delayed as the UK’s air traffic control service warned disruption is expected to continue into Sunday.
More than 900 inbound and outbound flights at the two travel hubs have been delayed for up to 11 hours and dozens have been cancelled, according to tracker FlightAware, many due to thunderstorms.
NATS, the UK’s air traffic control service, said adverse weather conditions meant aircraft needed to “avoid affected areas and be spaced further apart” and this would impact flights for the “remainder of Saturday and overnight”.
Gatwick and Heathrow advised passengers to check the status of their flights with airlines before travelling.
More than 474 flights arriving at or departing from Heathrow have been delayed so far, and another 439 in and out of Gatwick, according to FlightAware.
Delays to affected flights vary. Heathrow’s live arrival board shows a British Airways flight from Santiago, Chile, that was due to land at 10:00 BST but is now not expected to arrive until 21:00 this evening.
Europe-wide aviation agency Eurocontrol mapping shows the most severe air traffic control delays in airspace between south-east England and north-western Europe, where the storm clouds are currently located.
However, other UK airports remain largely unaffected.
In an updated statement on Saturday afternoon, NATS said: “Severe thunderstorms across the south east of England and Europe continue to impact flights, and this is expected to continue for the remainder of today and overnight.
“To ensure the safety of the travelling public, aircraft need to avoid affected areas and be spaced further apart, which limits the number of flights that can operate safely.
“We understand disruption is frustrating, but we’re working closely with airlines and airports to reduce disruption as much as possible.
“Passengers should continue to contact their airline for the latest information on their flight.”
NATS added that the forecast in UK airspace looks generally fine on Sunday, but further thunderstorms are forecast in Europe which may have a further impact on routings across the continent.
The thunderstorms developed overnight – bringing rain and lightning to parts of the UK – following a record-breaking heatwave, with the hottest ever June high of 37.3C recorded in Suffolk on Friday.
