By admin 
Christmas travel chaos as dense fog leads to massive delays and cancellations at Britain’s busiest airports 
Sign up to Simon Calder’s free travel email for expert advice and money-saving discounts
Get Simon Calder’s travel email
Get Simon Calder’s travel email
Disruption caused by dense fog at Gatwick Airport is expected to continue until the end of the day on Sunday, the airport’s busiest day during the holiday period.
Nats, Britain’s main air traffic control provider, said temporary air restrictions were in place for the rest of the day due to poor visibility at airports affected by fog.
One of the airport’s major airlines, easyJet, said on Sunday afternoon that a number of flights had been delayed or canceled due to the impact of weather-related delays.
It follows two days of disruption at Britain’s busiest airports, with Saturday’s flights at Stansted Airport affected by murky conditions, while live departure boards showed delays at Heathrow, Luton, Gatwick and Manchester airports.
Dense fog could reduce visibility to just 100 meters in some areas, the Met Office said.
The Met Office has issued warnings for Monday and Tuesday – with up to 140mm of rain, 20cm of snow and winds of 60mph possible in the worst affected areas in the run-up to New Year’s Eve.
Met Office wind, rain and snow warnings for the coming days
Barney DavisDecember 29, 2024 11:10 PM
The head of the Met office says the volatile week looks complicated to predict
Andy Page, the Met Office’s chief forecaster, said the forecast for the coming week was “complicated” and urged people to check the forecast regularly to update their plans.
He said: “Almost all of Britain is covered by at least one weather warning over the next week.
“With such a varied and complex weather situation, there is the potential for the pattern of warnings to shift and possibly escalate in some areas.
“As there are many festivities in the coming days and many people on the road, we urge everyone to continue to check the weather forecasts so they can update their plans.”
Barney DavisDecember 29, 2024 9:04 PM
Wales will start the new year on a soggy note with possible flooding
Those planning to travel on New Year’s Day should check road conditions and public transport updates before starting their journey.
In Wales, the New Year will get off to a soggy start as most of the country is likely to be drenched by up to 60mm of rain, causing road transport delays, possible power cuts and flooding.
Barney DavisDecember 29, 2024 7:04 PM
20 cm of snow is expected
A yellow warning has been issued for Orkney and Shetland during Hogmanay for “persistent snow” that is likely to cause travel disruptions.
The Met Office alert covers all islands and will be in effect all day from 5am on Tuesday.
Up to 20cm of snow is expected in the worst affected areas, mainly on the mainland and Hoy, while 5 to 10cm of snow is forecast elsewhere.
Longer road journey times are likely to be the result of difficult driving conditions, the forecaster warned.
Barney DavisDecember 29, 2024 6:17 PM
Delays and diversions at Gatwick are increasing
Delays and cancellations are piling up at London Gatwick, the world’s busiest single-runway airport. Around 60 flights to and from Gatwick have been grounded, affecting an estimated 9,000 passengers.
While Sunday morning started with only a few modest waits of up to an hour, the average delay increased to two hours by lunchtime. Some departures were five hours behind schedule, including easyJet to Aberdeen.
The largest airline at Gatwick, easyJet, has so far canceled flights to Edinburgh, Glasgow, the Isle of Man, Berlin (two flights), Munich, Basel, Geneva, Zurich and Innsbruck.
One incoming easyJet flight from Nice was diverted to Bournemouth.
British Airways has canceled flights to Bordeaux, Gran Canaria, Jersey and Geneva, while Wizz Air has grounded its departures to Larnaca in Cyprus.
Spanish low-cost airline Vueling has again canceled a number of incoming flights, from Asturias, Malaga, Seville, Santiago and Barcelona, to avoid being caught with long delays when landing and returning to Spain.
Norwegian did the same from Bergen, Copenhagen (two services), Oslo, Stavanger, Stockholm and Trondheim.
Swiss grounded its flight from Zurich, as did TAP Portugal from Porto.
Cancellations are likely to increase in the evening as crews reach their maximum permitted hours.
Simon Calder, travel correspondent December 29, 2024 5:25 PM
Hogmanay threatened with 25 cm of snow expected
For those celebrating Hogmanay, heavy rain and snow could cause “significant disruption” across northern Scotland, with up to 140mm of rain expected on Monday and Tuesday.
Up to 20 cm of snow can cover higher elevations, while strong winds have the potential to “aggravate” the impact, creating “blizzards” that can freeze power lines.
A warning has also been issued for “persistent snow” which is likely to cause traffic disruption in Orkney and Shetland from 5am on Tuesday.
The new year is off to a turbulent start with separate weather warnings for snow, wind and rain on January 1.
The worst affected areas could be covered in up to 25cm of snow, including Central Tayside and Fife, the East Midlands, northern England and the borders of Lothian.
Barney DavisDecember 29, 2024 5:10 PM
Fog at Heathrow: what happens if my flight is cancelled?
Fog at Heathrow: what happens if my flight is cancelled?
Barney DavisDecember 29, 2024 4:15 PM
Almost all of Britain is under weather warnings from Monday to Thursday
Heavy snow, rain and wind will batter Britain, causing travel disruptions over New Year’s Eve and most of next week.
The Met Office issued multiple weather warnings between Monday and Thursday, with almost the entire country affected by at least one warning.
In England and Northern Ireland, gusts of up to 75 miles per hour could cause travel disruption on December 31, with delays to road, rail, air and ferry transport very likely, the forecaster has warned.
Barney DavisDecember 29, 2024 3:15 PM
Winds of 70 miles per hour are expected to blow up New Year’s Eve
The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning for winds of up to 75mph that could cause travel disruption on New Year’s Eve.
The alert, which is in force from 7am to 11pm on Tuesday, covers most of Northern Ireland, including Londonderry, Tyrone, Antrim and Armagh, as well as just north of York in England as far as Glasgow, Edinburgh and Greenock.
Transport delays are likely, with gusts of up to 60mph expected in most areas, the forecaster warned.
Those affected should check road conditions before driving and the latest travel information and prepare in advance for possible power outages.
Barney DavisDecember 29, 2024 2:15 PM
In pictures: Cars travel in foggy conditions on the M20 near Folkestone in Kent
(Gareth Fuller/PA Wire) 
(Gareth Fuller/PA Wire) 
(Gareth Fuller/PA Wire)
Barney DavisDecember 29, 2024 1:15 PM