Met Office gives verdict on fog this weekend after hundreds of flights delayed
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Thick fog continues to cause travel chaos as dozens of flights are cancelled and hundreds delayed across the UK. Heathrow, Gatwick, London City, Manchester and Glasgow are just some of the airports affected by the lingering fog, which began a couple of days ago.
![[Mandatory Credit: Photo by Tse Chun Ming/SOPA Images/Shutterstock (15048280c) Passengers in the Manchester Airports are waiting for their flights in Terminal 3. Fog causes disruption at Manchester Airport, leaving hundreds of passengers in Terminal 3 awaiting flight updates. With delays of up to two hours, the crowded terminal has many passengers resorting to sitting on the floor as they wait for news. Passengers await updates as fog disupts flights at Manchester Airport, UK - 27 Dec 2024]](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/SEI_234370802-6c8c.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646)
Heathrow saw 408 flights delayed and 24 cancelled yesterday, and 176 delayed and 18 cancelled so far today, according to tracker Flight Aware. At Gatwick, 272 flights were delayed and 30 cancelled yesterday, while 217 have been delayed today and 13 cancelled today.
London City saw 29 delayed and 14 cancelled yesterday and eight delayed and four cancelled so far today. A spokesperson for Gatwick said: ‘Temporary air traffic restrictions have been put in place due to fog causing poor visibility. ‘Some flights may be delayed throughout the day.
‘London Gatwick apologises for any inconvenience. Passengers should contact their airline for further information.’. Nats, the UK’s main air traffic control provider, said temporary air restrictions would remain in place on Saturday in areas with low visibility.
A spokesperson added: ‘Restrictions of this sort are only ever applied to maintain safety. ‘We continue to monitor the situation and have a Met Office expert embedded within our operation to ensure we have the latest available information.’. Among those affected by cancellations were a couple who have been forced to prolong their Christmas visit to family on the Isle of Man by two days.
Kiera Quayle, from Colchester, Essex, was due to fly from Isle of Man Airport to London Gatwick on Friday evening with her husband after visiting his family but their flight was delayed by three hours before being cancelled entirely at around 10pm, with their next available journey on Sunday.
