Thick Fog in UK Causes Travel Disruption for Skiers
28th December 2024
Last modified on December 29th, 2024
Airports are returning to normal after the fog, but Gatwick remains affected. It is one of the busiest weekends for snowsport travel to and from ski resorts across Europe. UPDATED
It comes as people return from an Xmas break in the mountains or head out for New Year.
Sunday is expected to be Gatwick’s busiest day during the holiday period, with 769 flights planned.
No flights have been cancelled, but there are delays at the airport to the south of London
Heathrow said it was operating as normal, with no cancellations due to the fog.
Stansted and Luton airports have also said on Sunday they are not affected.
Flights at Manchester, Glasgow and Cardiff were among the airports where flights had also been disrupted on Friday and Saturday.
The UK’s main air traffic control provider, NATS, said “temporary” air restrictions would remain for places with low visibility.
“Restrictions of this sort are only ever applied to maintain safety,” said NATS.
“We continue to monitor the situation and have a Met Office expert embedded within our operation to ensure we have the latest available information.”
There has been a knock on impact at the alpine gateway airports with transfers to and from ski resorts affected.
Ben’s Bus says it is doing its very best.
A Gatwick spokesperson said on Saturday “Temporary air traffic restrictions have been put in place due to fog causing poor visibility.”
The airport apologised for any inconvenience, adding that delays could last all day.
Gatwick airport. Image © PlanetSKI
The problems have been compounded by planes and crews being in the work place after problems on Friday.
The persistent low cloud, mist and fog has been trapped in place by a slow-moving area of high pressure.
Conditions are expected to improve with sunny spells across much of the country on Sunday burning off the fog.
People are advised to check with their airline for the latest information.
Updated reaction from PlanetSKI readers:
If you have been affected by the travel problems feel free to share details of your experience to the PlanetSKI Facebook page.
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