Hundreds of flights at London’s Heathrow and Gatwick airports in the United Kingdom faced significant disruption on Saturday as thunderstorms swept across southern England, causing delays of up to six hours and forcing multiple cancellations.
More than 600 flights arriving at and departing from the two airports were affected, according to flight tracking data, with the UK’s air traffic control provider warning that disruptions were likely to continue throughout the day.
The severe weather followed an intense heatwave and prompted temporary air traffic restrictions, leading to frustration among stranded passengers.
One traveller reported on social media that her daughter remained aboard an EasyJet aircraft at Gatwick for four hours before the flight was eventually cancelled.
Flight-tracking service FlightAware recorded at least 367 delayed flights at Heathrow and 352 at Gatwick by Saturday afternoon.
According to Eurocontrol, Europe’s aviation management agency, Heathrow and Gatwick were the only UK airports experiencing “heavy” delays linked directly to thunderstorms.
While some routes remained unaffected, flights passing through airspace between south-east England and north-western Europe experienced the most severe delays due to storm activity in the region.
At Gatwick, an EasyJet service to Antalya scheduled to depart at 11:50 BST was delayed until 18:00, while several other flights, including British Airways services operating from Heathrow, were pushed back by several hours.
The UK’s air traffic control service, NATS, said “weather disruption was expected to continue through the rest of the day” following “forecasted severe weather across the south east of England”.
Gatwick Airport acknowledged that ongoing thunderstorms and temporary air traffic restrictions had resulted in delays and cancellations. Heathrow, meanwhile, advised passengers to check directly with their airlines before heading to the airport.
Among those affected was 29-year-old Adam Joseph, who told BBC News he had been left waiting at Venice Airport in Italy after his British Airways flight to Gatwick was delayed by more than four hours.
Scheduled to leave Venice at 12:30 local time, Joseph said the aircraft had yet to depart London on its inbound journey.
“We could’ve stayed at the hotel for another three to four hours,” Joseph said.
“We are also being told that even in the event of a four-hour-plus delay, because of an air traffic control restriction we will not be entitled to compensation.”
He added: “I’ve had to give up my chair to a family with a pregnant mother.
“People are very angry… we have had no communication from [BA] whatsoever.”
In response, British Airways said, “Like other airlines, we’ve had to make some adjustments to our schedule today due to air traffic control restrictions caused by adverse weather conditions affecting parts of UK airspace.”
The carrier apologised for the disruption and said efforts were ongoing to restore normal operations, adding that most passengers were not expected to be affected.
EasyJet also apologised after passengers reported lengthy delays and cancellations. One customer wrote on X, “My daughter has been sat on a plane at Gatwick for 4 hours and now you’ve cancelled the flight. She’s on an Easyjet holiday. What should she do?”
The airline said thunderstorm-related restrictions had reduced the number of aircraft movements at Gatwick, forcing it to “pre-emptively cancel some flights to and from Gatwick in advance”.
“We are doing all possible to minimise the impact of the weather disruption for our customers and are notifying passengers in advance with their options to rebook or receive a refund as well as hotel accommodation and meals where required,” a spokesman said.
The disruption comes as parts of eastern and south-eastern England remain under an amber heat warning issued by the Met Office, which is set to remain in effect until 09:00 BST on Sunday.
Forecasters also warned that isolated thunderstorms affecting parts of the UK were expected to intensify later on Saturday.
