Passengers at some of UK’s busiest airports face fog disruption

Passengers at some of the country’s busiest airports are facing disruption due to foggy weather.

Much of the UK has been shrouded in mist in recent days and the weather is having an impact as airports return to their normal flight schedules after Christmas.

Travellers are being urged to check with their airline as air traffic restrictions are in place at several UK airports due to fog, the country’s main air traffic control (ATC) provider Nats said on Friday.

Gatwick and Manchester, the UK’s second and third busiest airports, are among those affected by the bad weather.

Some flights departing from Gatwick on Friday evening have been delayed by up to three hours because of the fog.

Meanwhile, live departure boards show around half a dozen flights set to leave Manchester Airport on Friday evening have been cancelled.

The Met Office has not yet issued a weather warning for fog but said it will monitor conditions overnight.

A Nats spokesperson said: “Due to widespread fog, temporary air traffic restrictions are in place at several airports across the UK today. Restrictions of this sort are only ever applied to maintain safety.

“We continue to monitor the situation and have a Met Office expert embedded within our operation to ensure we have the latest available information. Our teams are working closely with the airports and airlines to minimise disruption.”

EasyJet said it is currently experiencing some disruption to its flying programme due to low visibility.

“While this is outside of our control, we are doing all we can to minimise the impact of the delays,” an EasyJet spokesperson said.

A Manchester Airport spokesperson said: “Like most airports across the country, we have experienced some delays as a result of fog. In most instances these delays have been short and have not caused disruption to our schedule.

“Passengers due to travel should prepare as normal and aim to arrive at the airport in line with their airline’s advice – this is usually two hours ahead of a short-haul flight and three hours ahead of a long-haul flight.”

Meanwhile, National Highways, which runs the UK’s motorways and busiest A-roads, said the misty weather is not having a significant impact on its network, but reminded motorists to use dipped headlights, wipers and demisters while driving in foggy conditions.