UK flights face further disruption due to fog

London: Disruption is continuing at several UK airports, including Gatwick, due to heavy fog.

Dozens of flights at Heathrow and Gatwick have been cancelled or delayed on Saturday, after multiple flights were affected on Friday. The UK’s main air traffic control provider, Nats, said “temporary” air restrictions would remain for places with low visibility.

Forecasters said the fog would persist across much of England and Wales and was likely to linger, especially across southern areas, but conditions could improve later.

Passengers have been advised to check their flight status, with motorists also warned to take extra care on the roads.

On Saturday, 20 flights at Heathrow have been cancelled so far with another 29 delayed, while at Gatwick, 26 are delayed and one has been cancelled.

A Gatwick spokesperson said: “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.

Nats said it was monitoring the situation as some UK airports continue to be affected by the “widespread fog”.

“Planes and their pilots aren’t necessarily in the right place to start getting people where they need to be,” travel journalist Simon Calder told BBC Breakfast, explaining that delays from the previous day would have a knock-on effect.

Stansted Airport has also been experiencing some disruption as a result of the weather.

No issues have been reported at Birmingham, East Midlands or Manchester airports on Saturday.

On Friday, data from flight tracking website Flightradar24 showed dozens of outbound flights were cancelled from airports across the UK, while hundreds more were delayed.

Manchester, Glasgow and Cardiff were among the airports where flights were delayed or cancelled.

Irem, 36, had her flight from Germany to the UK delayed by nearly seven hours on Friday due to fog at Manchester Airport.

“We’ve started boarding [at Cologne Airport] but are crammed into a space where we’re waiting for the bus. We’ve been standing for about an hour, it’s just been a bit of a nightmare,” she told the BBC.

“I am from Cologne so we spent a few days here over Christmas with my family. We are about to have a delayed Christmas and New Year with my husband’s family in North Wales.

“That will be delayed slightly, but I suppose we’re lucky we’re still going to see them tomorrow.”

National Highways, which runs the UK’s motorways and busiest A-roads, said the misty weather was not having a significant impact on its network.

It reminded motorists to use dipped headlights, wipers and demisters while driving in foggy conditions.

The persistent low cloud, mist and fog has been trapped in place by a slow-moving area of high pressure.

Saturday’s widespread low cloud, mist and fog is expected to clear later.

Conditions are expected to look significantly clearer on Sunday, with sunny spells across much of England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Fog is essentially a cloud that has formed near the ground and gives a damp feeling.

It happens when the air contains a lot of moisture and often happens after rain.