Wintery weather has dumped snow on Heathrow airport in London yesterday, causing the cancellation of more than half the flights in and out. On Friday, the airport closed about a third of all flights. A spokesman for the airport said that there are predictions for freezing fog and that has led to the additional flight cancellations.
The runways have been cleared, but many of the flights were also cancelled from other areas of Eastern Europe, which has received record snowfall amounts and dangerously frigid temperatures.
Heathrow airport normally has 1,300 flights in and out each day. The management at the airport said that their emergency snow plan worked very well – much better than it had in previous years.
The airport is trying to get back to business as normal as it tries to clear all the flights that are backlogged. Air traffic control and the airlines played a big role in the decision to cancel half the flights yesterday. A spokesman said that by cancelling flights in advance instead of at the last minute, the airlines were able to rebook many passengers on other flights. It also led to better communication between the airlines and passengers as to the status of their flight. There were many airlines that brought in additional staff to help answer passengers’ questions and for some, to get on another flight.
There is no addition snow forecast in the next couple of days; however, the freezing fog was due in about 6 pm Sunday night. Passengers were warned that there could be additional cancellations tomorrow. The airport has advised passengers to keep up with the status of their flight before heading to the airport.
At Gatwick Airport, the flights in and out are still scheduled; however, passengers have been warned that disruptions could end up happening tomorrow. Other airports in Britain, such as Luton, Stansted, and Birmingham, all had to postpone flights while snow was removed from the runways. Snow fell over most of Scotland and England yesterday, with some continuing in southern England today.
