Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Flights disrupted at Heathrow and London City airports as another foggy morning causes transport nightmare

  • Heathrow Airport forced to cancel 49 flights
  • Met Office says conditions do not warrant a severe weather warning

By Anna Edwards

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Fog and cloud across the UK has left hundreds of travellers stranded this morning for a second day in a row.

Fog affected flights and train journeys as Britain was cloaked in a light fog, but the Met Office said that they were not issuing a severe weather warning as the impact was not widespread.

The poor visibility led to disrupted flights at London City Airport, and 54 flights were cancelled at Heathrow Airport in west London.

Passengers faced more delays at Terminal 5, Heathrow, as the airport operated on reduced capacity because of foggy conditions

Passengers faced more delays at Terminal 5, Heathrow, as the airport operated on reduced capacity because of foggy conditions

More misery: Flights were cancelled as the misty conditions caused havoc for airports

More misery: Flights were cancelled at Heathrow as the misty conditions caused havoc for airports

Passengers face cancelled and delayed flights and had to queue for re-booking flights

Passengers face cancelled and delayed flights and had to queue for re-booking flights

A spokesman for Heathrow said: 'Fog and low cloud mean there?s reduced visibility for pilots and air traffic controllers at Heathrow.

'Drivers have to leave extra space in these conditions and aircraft are no different, which makes it impossible to maintain Heathrow?s normal pattern of a plane landing or taking off every 45 seconds.?

'Because Heathrow is full, operating at more than 99 per cent of permitted runway capacity, there are no gaps in the schedule that can be used for delayed flights.

'Unfortunately that makes some cancellations inevitable.

The iconic Angel of the North in Gateshead, was wrapped in a veil of thick fog today, as poor visibility has been causing transport delays up and down the UK

The iconic Angel of the North in Gateshead, was wrapped in a veil of thick fog today, as poor visibility has been causing transport delays up and down the UK

A plane lands in the fog at Heathrow Airport as fog affected flights for a second day this morning, while train travellers also suffered delays

A plane lands in the fog at Heathrow Airport as fog affected flights for a second day this morning, while train travellers also suffered delays

London is hit by dense fog for the second day in a row as travellers faced delays and cancellations because of the glum weather

London is hit by dense fog for the second day in a row as travellers faced delays and cancellations because of the glum weather

Heathrow Airport suffered because of the cloak of fog, but the Met Office said the weather did not warrant a severe weather warning

Heathrow Airport suffered because of the cloak of fog, but the Met Office said the weather did not warrant a severe weather warning

'There are also some delays and cancellations being caused by an air traffic control strike in France.?

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'We?re sorry for the disruption caused to our passengers and have teams in the terminals to help anyone who needs to rebook.'

Stansted remained open and operated all flights, despite the adverse weather conditions.

A spokesman said: 'We actually took in an additional 34 diverts from other airports, mainly City, Luton and Southend on Monday.'

On the railways, there were delays to CrossCountry and South West Trains (SWT) services in Hampshire due to a broken-down freight train in the Eastleigh area.

SWT passengers also had to contend with delays due to a broken-down train at Beaulieu Road in Hampshire which led to hold-ups between Southampton Central and Brockenhurst.

We can't see you! Thick fog surrounds the flight as it lands in Heathrow

We can't see you! Thick fog surrounds the flight as it lands in Heathrow

Misty morning: Fog shrouds the viewing platform of the Orbit at the Olympic site at Stratford, east London

Misty morning: Fog shrouds the viewing platform of the Orbit at the Olympic site at Stratford, east London

A jet sits on the apron at London City Airport as fog swirls around the top of near-by tower blocks

A jet sits on the apron at London City Airport as fog swirls around the top of near-by tower blocks

A signalling problem between Saxmundham and Woodbridge in Suffolk delayed passengers travelling with Greater Anglia, with buses replacing trains between Ipswich and Saxmundham.

On London Midland, passengers were warned to expect possible cancellations due to train crew shortages, while First Great Western services were affected by a broken-down train at Greenford in west London.

On the Underground, there were delays during the rush-hour to Metropolitan and Jubilee line services due to a faulty train at Wembley Park in north west London.

The Met Office said: 'It's mostly misty, cloudy and drizzling. Temperatures are up to 16 degrees and will stay pretty much the same for tomorrow, with lots of cloud.

'There was a severe weather warning yesterday through until this morning. As visibility is not limited to 200 metres and there is not a wide impact, we have not issued another one.'

Foggy days: The Met Office said the weather should clear by the end of the week

Foggy days: The Met Office said the weather should clear by the end of the week

The poor weather came as thick mist caused havoc yesterday, forcing flights to be cancelled across the UK's airports.

The affects of the heavy fog was felt across Europe, including in Poland where planes due to land at Warsaw airports were redirected to neighbouring cities or were forced to wait for the fog to temporarily dissipate before landing, airport authorities said.

The Met Office? issued a 17-hour severe weather alert in the South, Midlands and North of England as visibility dropped to 50metres on hills because of the fog.

Famous skylines across the capital were totally obscured by the thick fog, but the weather is expected to warm up before a cold snap greets the country by the end of the week.

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Source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2221857/Flights-disrupted-Heathrow-London-City-airports-foggy-morning-causes-transport-nightmare.html?ITO=1490

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