Severe thunderstorms sweeping across southern England have caused widespread disruption to air travel, with nearly 800 flights delayed and dozens cancelled at London’s Heathrow and Gatwick airports on Saturday.
According to flight tracking data, at least 377 flights arriving at or departing from Heathrow and 399 flights at Gatwick were delayed as stormy weather and temporary air traffic restrictions affected operations. Delays stretched up to 11 hours for some services.
The UK’s air traffic control provider, National Air Traffic Services (NATS), said weather-related disruption was expected to continue throughout the day as severe thunderstorms moved across south-east England.
Gatwick Airport confirmed that temporary air traffic control restrictions
had been imposed due to adverse weather, while Heathrow advised passengers to check the status of their flights with airlines before travelling to the airport.
Several airlines were forced to adjust their schedules. EasyJet confirmed it had cancelled a number of flights to and from Gatwick because thunderstorms reduced the number of aircraft that could safely arrive and depart. The airline said affected passengers were being offered refunds, alternative flights, hotel accommodation and meals where necessary.
British Airways also acknowledged disruptions to its schedule, citing air traffic control restrictions caused by severe weather affecting UK airspace.
Flight tracking services showed that delays varied significantly, with some long-haul flights expected to arrive more than 10 hours behind schedule.
The disruption follows a record-breaking heatwave across the UK. On Friday, temperatures reached 37.3 degrees Celsius in Suffolk, making it the hottest June day ever recorded in the country.
As the intense heat gave way to unstable weather conditions, thunderstorms developed overnight, bringing heavy rain, lightning and turbulent flying conditions across southern England.
According to European air traffic management agency Eurocontrol, the most severe congestion was concentrated in airspace between south-east England and north-western Europe, where storm clouds forced aircraft to take longer routes to avoid turbulence.
While airports in other parts of the UK have largely continued operating normally, aviation authorities warned that further thunderstorm development was possible as a broad band of unstable hot air stretches from northern Spain to southern Sweden.
The UK Met Office has issued an amber warning for extreme heat across parts of eastern and south-east England until Sunday morning, while forecasters expect thunderstorms to persist in affected regions through the weekend.
