Storm Eowyn: Agencies shut and 1,100+ flights cancelled amid 'danger to life' warning
James Chapple & 
Harry KembleStorm Eowyn has swept across Ireland into the North West and Scotland, bringing with it 100mph winds – which the Met Office has said pose a "danger to life" – that have forced more than 1,100 flight cancellations.
A number of agencies across the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland, Scotland and the north of England pre-emptively shut their doors on Thursday and Friday (23-24 January) after several rare red weather warnings were issued, along with a slew of amber and yellow alerts.
Barrhead Travel took the decision on Thursday to shut all its stores in red warning areas, including its Glasgow HQ. Northern Ireland’s Oasis Travel, which has eight branches, was another to shut all of its branches on Friday as the storm intensified.
Hays Travel has shut its stores in Northern Ireland until 2pm on Friday, while a number of its branches across Scotland will be shut until Saturday.
You may also be interested in...
Two Met Office red warnings for wind remained in place on Friday morning – one covering the entirety of Northern Ireland, which remains valid until 2pm, and another covering southern, central and border regions of Scotland, including Glasgow and Edinburgh. This will remain in place until 5pm.
Much of the rest of Scotland remains subject to amber warnings for wind, and the whole of England is covered by a yellow wind warning. Winds topped 100mph in coastal areas of Northern Ireland and Scotland, hitting highs of 114mph. There are also snow and ice warnings in place for many areas of Northern Ireland and Scotland.
Loganair took the decision on Thursday to cancel its entire Friday schedule, and it is offering flexibility on all flights departing on Saturday too, while Belfast International airport confirmed that as of around 7.45am on Friday, some 230 flights due to fly to and from the airport had so far been cancelled.
A number of other airports have warned they expect further disruption on Friday as Storm Eowyn moves further north, although there have been reports of disruption so far south as Bristol and Cardiff.
As of 1pm on Friday, aviation analytics firm Cirium said more than 1,100 flights arriving into or departing from airports in the UK and Ireland had so far been cancelled, amounting to around 20% of all scheduled flights.
The worst affected airports in the UK are Edinburgh (85 departures and 80 arrivals cancelled), Heathrow (51 departures and 62 arrivals cancelled), Glasgow (44 departures and 43 arrivals cancelled), Aberdeen (36 departures and 32 arrivals cancelled) and Belfast City (24 departures and 21 arrivals cancelled).
In the Republic of Ireland, there have so far been 120 departures and 110 arrivals cancelled at Dublin airport, nine departures and seven arrivals at Cork and five departures and five arrivals at Knock.
TTG will be updating this story as we get more information on the effects of Storm Eowyn throughout the day. Latest update: 1.30pm.
Agencies
Hays Travel has closed all of its branches in Northern Ireland, and in east and west Scotland – save for Aberdeen, Arbroath, Berryden Park, Buckie, Elgin, Inverness, Perth, and Peterhead.
Scottish independents Barrhead Travel and Thorne Travel; Northern Irish agencies Oasis Travel and Clubworld Travel; and Marble City Travel and O’Hanrahan Travel in the Republic of Ireland have all shuttered branches to protect staff and customers.
A Barrhead spokesperson stressed “nothing is more important than the safety and wellbeing of our people”, adding affected staff would work remotely on Friday.
“Stores which can safely open will trade as normal, while all branches impacted by the red weather warning will be closed,” said a spokesperson. “Some shopping centres are already choosing to remain closed for at least part of the day.”
Barrhead also confirmed it was already working through changes with customers whose flights have been cancelled due to Storm Eowyn.
Thorne Travel confirmed its staff would work from home after it closed its Kilwinning, Largs and Prestwick shops “to ensure the safety of our staff and customers”. It added it was monitoring the weather situation and would make a decision later about whether to open on Saturday.
Scottish independent LAH Travel revealed its shops in West Kilbride and Kilmarnock would remain open on Friday but with “limited staff” to prevent employees from driving in dangerous conditions.
Another, Travel Zing, which made its long-awaited return to the high street last year, said it had worked around-the-clock to support customers.
Ayr-based agency the Good Travel Company was another to shut its doors on Friday, telling customers their safety and that of staff was its top priority.
Clubworld Travel in Lisburn Road, Belfast, issued a customer notice, confirming it would close until 2pm on Friday
Atlantic Travel in the Irish town of Letterkenny pre-emptively warned clients on Thursday it will be closed on Friday due to the red weather warning.
The Destination Lounge’s new branch in Braunton, Devon, decided to close this week and reopen at 9am on Monday (27 January).
However, it added: “Please give us a call as will be available on the phone remotely. Batten down those hatches and plan your sunny escape.”
Airlines
- Loganair has pre-emptively cancelled all flights due to operate on Friday (24 January) owing to the red Storm Eowyn warning issued by the Met Office. It confirmed this in a statement issued at around 3.30pm on Friday (23 January). It is offering passengers the opportunity to change their travel plans free of charge. Passengers can rebook onto an alternative flight up to seven days from the original date of travel without paying change fees or fare differences. Passengers due to travel on Saturday (25 January) can take advantage of the same flexibility.
- Aer Lingus has warned of "significant dsiruption" to travel to and from Ireland and the UK on Friday (24 January) owing to "severe weather warnings". "Some operational changes and flight cancellations have been made across our network for Friday morning, with potential for further changes as the weather event unfolds," said the airline. Affected passengers will be notified directly. Passengers are advised to check the status of their flight online before travelling to their departure airport, and to allow extra time to travel. Aer Lingus added updates on bookings made with agents and online agencies, or through other airlines, would come from these parties.
- Ryanair said it had been forced to cancel "a small number of flights to and from the UK" owing to Storm Eowyn, adding flights still operating may experience delays. Passengers affected by cancellations have been notified via email of their options for reroute/refund, the airline added.
To help the trade navigate through the next couple of days, Jet2holidays has sent an email detailing how agents should behave depending on whether their clients want to travel this weekend or want to cancel or change their plans. The tour operator said that customers no longer wishing to travel could get a full refund, which will be processed in 14-days. To accommodate travellers wanting to change their travel plans, agents should instead make a new reservation before calling Jet2.com helpline or contacting the live chat to request a refund for the original booking. The company has nevertheless told agents to make sure bookings are amended following the process. If holidaymakers choose to travel and end up missing two or more nights in their chosen accommodation, they will be entitled to a partial refund, which will be processed in 28 days.
Airports
NORTHERN IRELAND
- Belfast International airport, in a statement issued at 9.30am on Friday (24 January) said operations would remain limited owing to the red Met Office weather warning, and reiterated people should follow police advice and not travel on roads within the warning area. The airport site has experienced intermittent power outages. "This remains a fast-moving situation and flight schedules will continue to change over the coming hours," said the airport. "Passengers should continue to check with their airline throughout today [Friday] and tomorrow [Saturday] for the latest updates to flights before travelling to the airport." It also warned its website was not displaying correct flight information, but stressed its chatbot had the latest information, although passengers are advised to check with their airline in the first instance.
- Belfast City airport highlighted the weather warnings issued for the UK on Friday (24 January), and said there may be some disruption to flights due to arrive into and depart from the airport. Passengers are advised to check the status of their flight with their airline
REPUBLIC OF IRELAND
- Dublin airport has confirmed that as of around 7.45am on Friday (24 January), around 230 flights scheduled to depart from or arrive into the airport had been cancelled due to Storm Eowyn. "Winds remain very strong in the Dublin region," it said, adding these winds were forecast to continue for the rest of the morning. "Further cancellations and delays to flights are possible during the remainder of the day," it said. Passengers are advised to check the status of their flight with their airline before travelling to the airport.
SCOTLAND
- Edinburgh airport has confirmed no flights flights will operate to or from the airport between 10am and 5pm on Friday. Some 28,000 passengers across 136 departing flights and 124 arriving flights has been affected. Edinburgh's Friday schedule has been reduced to 45 departing and 57 arriving flights, catering for around 14,500 passengers. "Airline schedules will be subject to change tonight [Friday] and in the days to come so please continue to check with your airline for the latest information," it said in a statement, after earlier calling for patience amid the "fast-moving situation".
- Glasgow Airport said it was limiting all airport operations between 10am and 5pm on Friday following "the significant level of flight cancellations as a result of the red weather alert due to Storm Eowyn". Passengers are advised to check with their airline for up-to-date information before travelling.
ENGLAND AND WALES
- Bristol airport has flagged the Met Office warnings for Thursday and Friday (23-24 January). Passengers are advised to check with their airline for the latest flight updates and allow extra time to get to the airport. The main road serving BRS, the A38, was shut north of the airport at Barrow Gurney on Friday morning due to fallen trees, with diversion routes in place.
- Cardiff airport has told passengers to check before they travel, and warned of the potential for disruption to flights over the coming days due to the adverse weather conditions. Passengers, it said, are advised to contact their airline or tour operator for the latest flight information.
- Manchester airport warned passengers high winds were expected across the UK on Friday, and that road and rail links with the airport could be affected. "Please check with your airline for up-to-date flight information... [and] allow extra time and care for your journey to the airport."
- Newcastle International airport said that due to strong winds caused by Storm Eowyn, it was experiencing some disruption to its flight schedule. The airport's online departure board was showing 12 cancelled departures on Friday, and 11 cancelled arrivals.
Sign up for weekday travel news and analysis straight to your inbox
James Chapple
Harry Kemble
Supplier Directory
Find contacts for 260+ travel suppliers. Type name, company or destination.
Recommended For You
Latest travel jobs
Travel Consultant - Bearsden, Braehead, Glasgow
Travel Consultant - Port Glasgow
Travel Consultant - The Gyle, Edinburgh
Competitions
Upcoming events
TTG Top 50 Travel Agencies 2025
TTG Media Limited.
Place of registration: England and Wales.
Company number 08723341.
Registered address: 2-6 Boundary Row, London, SE1 8HP
