This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-25329608
The article has changed 14 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
Version 12 | Version 13 |
---|---|
Heathrow flights resume as thick fog lifts | Heathrow flights resume as thick fog lifts |
(about 7 hours later) | |
Dense fog has forced at least 280 flight cancellations at London's Heathrow Airport, causing disruption for thousands of air travellers. | |
Further cancellations are likely on Thursday as staff deal with the backlog and more fog, a spokesman warned. | |
London City Airport was shrouded in fog through the day, with every flight on Wednesday morning cancelled or delayed. | |
At Southampton Airport, the fog had cleared by midday but 16 flights were cancelled in the morning. | |
A Heathrow spokeswoman said that by late evening, passengers were experiencing delays of between 30 minutes to an hour. | |
She said most passengers, whose flights were grounded on Wednesday, had been rebooked onto flights scheduled to depart later on Thursday. | |
The cancellations - which included flights to Berlin, Paris, Belfast and Dublin - were mostly short-haul journeys, she said. | The cancellations - which included flights to Berlin, Paris, Belfast and Dublin - were mostly short-haul journeys, she said. |
Three inbound flights were diverted to Stansted, which was unaffected by the fog. Luton and Gatwick reported no cancellations and only minor delays. | |
A London City Airport spokeswoman said the fog had stayed for most of the day and advised passengers to check with their airlines before travelling to the airport. | |
She said she was unable to provide figures for the number of flight cancellations, but the departures board showed at least 30 cancellations on Wednesday afternoon. | |
On Tuesday night four aircraft had to be diverted from Southampton airport to Bournemouth. | |
A spokeswoman for Heathrow said on average the airport handles about 1,300 flights a day. | |
The airport has had to cancel flights because of an air traffic control requirement for more space on the schedule between planes during periods of decreased visibility, she added. | The airport has had to cancel flights because of an air traffic control requirement for more space on the schedule between planes during periods of decreased visibility, she added. |
Stephen Main, who was due to fly to New York from Glasgow via London Heathrow, said he would now be delayed by almost nine hours. | Stephen Main, who was due to fly to New York from Glasgow via London Heathrow, said he would now be delayed by almost nine hours. |
"We had plans for a business meeting in the afternoon but this puts the whole trip back." | "We had plans for a business meeting in the afternoon but this puts the whole trip back." |
A spokeswoman for Southampton Airport said they were still experiencing some delays during the afternoon even though the fog had cleared. | |
Delays were reported early in the morning on the crossing between Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, Wightlink Ferries said. | Delays were reported early in the morning on the crossing between Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, Wightlink Ferries said. |
And operations at Southampton Container Port were suspended due to the fog. | And operations at Southampton Container Port were suspended due to the fog. |
BBC weather forecasters said the morning's fog in London was 150m deep in places. | |
More dense fog is likely overnight in south-east England but the breeze is expected to move it away quickly, forecasters say. | |