London: Hundreds of flights have been delayed at London’s Heathrow and Gatwick airports after thunderstorms disrupted air traffic across southern England.
The severe weather followed a record-breaking heatwave and caused widespread travel disruption, with authorities warning that delays could continue throughout the day.
More than 800 flights arriving at and departing from Heathrow and Gatwick were delayed on June 27, while dozens of services were cancelled. The UK’s air traffic control service said stormy conditions over south-east England had affected aircraft movements and were expected to continue disrupting schedules.
Heathrow recorded more than 400 delayed flights, with Gatwick experiencing a similar number. Some passengers faced lengthy waits, including travellers on a British Airways service from Santiago, Chile, which was expected to arrive around 11 hours later than scheduled.
Gatwick also introduced temporary air traffic control restrictions because of the severe weather. The disruption followed overnight thunderstorms that brought heavy rain and lightning to parts of the UK after Friday’s record June temperature of 37.3 degrees Celsius was recorded in Suffolk.
An amber warning for extreme heat remains in effect for parts of eastern and south-east England, while forecasters warned that thunderstorms could intensify during the afternoon.
Air traffic controllers said aircraft were being rerouted to avoid areas of severe turbulence between south-east England and north-western Europe. These diversions created knock-on delays across the aviation network, affecting both arriving and departing flights.
Airport authorities have advised passengers to check the latest flight information with their airlines before travelling. With unstable weather expected to continue, travellers have been urged to allow extra time and prepare for further changes to flight schedules throughout the day.
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