Fog clears across UK but Gatwick flights still axed to avoid last-minute disruption
Harry KembleGatwick airport says operations are “returning to normal” despite more than 20 flights being pulled in advance of Monday (30 December).
Flights at the UK’s second busiest airport as well as Manchester, Glasgow and Cardiff were all disrupted on Friday and Saturday due to thick fog.
Ahead of Monday, 24 flights in and out of Gatwick were cancelled to avoid last-minute cancellations and allow aircraft to be repositioned to get operations running smoothly again.
A Gatwick airport spokesperson said: “Temporary air traffic restrictions in place over the weekend due to fog have been lifted.
“A small number of flights have been cancelled in advance to avoid last-minute cancellations, but operations are now returning to normal. Gatwick apologises for any inconvenience.”
According to The Independent, up to 5,000 passengers have been affected by flight cancellations over the weekend, with easyJet grounding 17 flights.
An easyJet spokesperson told TTG: “Unfortunately, a small number of flights this morning to and from Gatwick were cancelled due to the knock on impact of air traffic control restrictions from poor weather conditions on Sunday.
"Customers were notified in advance to minimise the impact on their plans and provided with options to rebook before travelling or receive a refund, as well as hotel accommodation and meals where required."
The easyJet spokesperson continued: “The safety and wellbeing of our customers and crew is our highest priority and while this is outside of our control, we would like to apologise to customers for the inconvenience caused.”
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the air traffic control provider Nats said: "The weather conditions that caused disruption to UK airports over the weekend have significantly improved.
"Only a few air traffic regulations remain, and these are within normal operating limits."
It comes as the Met Office issued yellow weather warnings across most of the country for New Year’s Day.
Travellers could be impacted by snow in Norther Ireland and Scotland, wind across England and rain in large parts of Wales.
Yellow warnings are issued when it is likely the weather will cause some low level impacts, including some travel disruption.
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