UK weather: Flight disruption expected until Sunday due to thick fog

28 December 2024, 02:07 | Updated: 28 December 2024, 21:04

Disruption caused by thick fog is expected to continue until Sunday at some of the UK's busiest airports.

Nats, the UK's main air traffic control provider, said temporary air restrictions would remain in place until Sunday in areas with low visibility.

Sunday is expected to be Gatwick's busiest day during the holiday period, with 769 flights planned.

Patches of thick fog could reduce visibility to just 100 metres in some areas, the Met Office said, as passengers have been advised to contact their airlines for updated information.

A Nats spokesperson said: "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."

Kiera Quayle and her husband remain stuck on the Isle of Man after visiting his family for Christmas.

On Friday night, their Easyjet flight back was delayed and then cancelled due to Gatwick's fog and their new flight doesn't leave until 5pm on Sunday.

"We're lucky that we have family we can stay with, but it has been difficult organising travel and where we are staying," she told Sky News.

"Luckily for us our neighbour has agreed to look after our cat for a few extra days, and we can swallow the extra car park charge at Gatwick," she said.

The Met Office has advised travellers to allow "a little bit longer" for journeys and warned drivers to leave extra braking distances in areas with poor visibility.

Senior forecaster Craig Snell said the situation should improve on Saturday night.

"Tonight, we should start to see a little bit more in the way of breeze developing, so that should start to disperse some of the poorer visibilities across the rest of the UK," he said.

"So we might start to see some of the fog and low cloud begin to lift as the night goes on, but generally with plenty of cloud around we're not really expecting any issues with frost or anything like that."

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Passengers on flights delayed for more than two hours may be entitled to assistance, including food and drink or overnight accommodation if necessary, an expert from consumer website Which? said.

Jo Rhodes, Which? travel expert, said: "If your flight is cancelled, you also have the choice of being refunded or rerouted on the next available flight.

"If you choose the latter, then your airline must get you to your destination as soon as possible - including with a rival carrier, if necessary.

"Airlines can sometimes be reluctant to buy you a ticket with their competitors, so don't be afraid to remind them of this rule if another flight could get you where you need to go quicker than they can."

Meanwhile, there is a yellow warning in place for heavy rain in parts of Scotland for Monday and New Year's Eve on Tuesday, leaving the start of 2025 "distinctly unsettled".

Edinburgh's Hogmanay celebrations could face "significant disruption" from rain, with organisers warning audiences to "prepare for all weather, wrap up warm and double-check with your travel operator for the latest updates".

The yellow warning could see as much as 140mm (5.5in) of rain in places, as other parts of the UK will likely see rain, wind and possibly even snow later on next week.

The Met Office added that "more warnings are likely to be issued".

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