Severe thunderstorms caused hundreds of flight delays and cancellations at Heathrow and Gatwick airports on Saturday, leaving passengers stranded on grounded planes for hours in scorching conditions. The disruption followed back-to-back days of temperatures above 30°C in the UK, part of a record-breaking heatwave across Europe.
More than 600 flights affected
According to flight tracker FlightAware, at least 367 flights due to land or take off from Heathrow were delayed, and 352 in and out of Gatwick. Some delays exceeded six hours, and dozens of flights were cancelled. One Gatwick-to-Antalya flight scheduled to land in Turkey at 11:50am was now due at 6pm.
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”.
Passengers vent frustration
Travellers expressed frustration on social media. One said they had been stuck on a grounded British Airways plane at Heathrow from 7am until noon. Another reported 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. “We could’ve stayed at the hotel for another three to four hours,” Joseph said. “We are also being told that even in the event of a four-hour-plus delay, because of an air traffic control restriction, we will not be entitled to compensation.” He added: “I’ve had to give up my chair to a family with a pregnant mother. People are very angry … we have had no communication from [British Airways] whatsoever.”
Airlines respond
British Airways said in a statement: “Like other airlines, we’ve had to make some adjustments to our schedule today due to air traffic control restrictions caused by adverse weather conditions affecting parts of UK airspace. While the vast majority of our customers will be unaffected, we apologise for the inconvenience caused and our teams are working hard to help those impacted get their journeys back on track.”
EasyJet said it had to “pre-emptively cancel some flights to and from Gatwick in advance” over the thunderstorms. “We are doing all possible to minimise the impact of the weather disruption for our customers and are notifying passengers in advance with their options to rebook or receive a refund as well as hotel accommodation and meals where required,” a spokesperson said.
Other airports affected
Delays also hit smaller airports including Leeds Bradford and Edinburgh, with three departures delayed at the former and four arrivals and 15 departures delayed at the latter on Saturday due to the weather. London City also experienced disruption, with a spokesperson saying: “Flights are gradually returning to normal following this morning’s weather-related air traffic restrictions. There have been some associated delays and cancellations.”
