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Airports Across the UK and Europe Disrupted by Thick Fog on Busy Holiday Travel Weekend

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Airports Across the UK and Europe Disrupted by Thick Fog on Busy Holiday Travel Weekend

Thick fog advisories across the UK and Europe have been in place since Friday, causing low visibility and restricting air traffic on one of the year’s busiest holiday weekends, creating travel chaos for millions of passengers and airline officials.




Air disruptions were widespread among airports in the UK, the Netherlands, and Poland beginning late Friday, and are expected to continue throughout the day on Sunday as the fog blankets British and European countries far and wide.

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In England, Gatwick, Stanstead, Luton, and Heathrow airports faced unprecedented flight disruptions as visibility was reduced to less than 100 meters (328 feet) at all four airports, causing over 400 flights to be delayed or canceled.

As the fog settled in late Friday, reports indicate that flights were delayed for up to three hours, while Saturday proved to be far more challenging for pilots and airline officials; the dense fog continued into Saturday evening, and air restrictions are expected to lift by late Sunday, with some areas under temporary restrictions with low visibility.


“Restrictions of this sort are only ever applied to maintain safety,” it said. “Our teams are working closely with the airports and airlines to minimize disruption, said Nats, the UK’s main air traffic control provider.”

In Europe, the Schiphol and Eindhoven airports in the Netherlands were forced to cancel dozens of flights, while some passengers dealt with nearly five-hour delays.

Flights to Istanbul, Amsterdam, and Frankfurt at Poland’s Kraków Airport were completely canceled, while flights headed to Balice from Toulouse, Madrid, and Frankfurt were rerouted to Rzeszów,Warsaw, Ostrava, and Bratislava.

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From England to Ireland and Scotland, to Several Countries in Europe, Passengers Facing Flight Delays and Cancelations Express Frustration

The dense fog also disrupted flights as far north as Scotland. Those heading home after the Christmas break expressed frustration as the weather-related travel chaos unfolded.


“It’s frustrating and stressful but I overheard a few families who are now missing holidays and work who have it worse at this point,” said Kiera Quayle after she and her husband, who were visiting family for Christmas on the Isle of Man, were among many affected. “We’re lucky that we have family we can stay with, but it has been difficult organizing travel and where we are staying,” she said.

Back in the UK, the Met Office has advised those traveling to allow themselves additional time to get to their planned destinations, indicating that visibility should begin to improve in some areas late Saturday into Sunday.

“So we might start to see some of the fog and low clouds begin to lift as the night goes on, but generally, with plenty of clouds around, we’re not really expecting any issues with frost or anything like that,” stated Senior forecaster, Craig Snell.

However, weather conditions in the UK are slated to worsen by New Year’s Eve, as a massive and powerful arctic bomb arrives, unleashing below-freezing temperatures, icy conditions, and whiteouts, further disrupting travel for those in England, Ireland, Wales, and Scotland for seven days straight.


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