Why does the UK experience flight chaos during bad weather?

Thousands of flights have been delayed or canceled in late 2024 due to strong winds and fog – and the wintry weather could cause further disruption this weekend.

It may seem like a mystery to many frustrated travelers that a short spell of bad weather can spoil schedules, especially since British weather isn’t exactly known for being the best.

Many of us here in the UK are used to experiencing train delays – whether it’s getting out on the line or just a normal journey – but with all the technological advances in planes and airports in recent years, why flights?

BBC News found that there are many reasons for this. Bad weather can wreak havoc. On passengers and crew alike.

Elif Arjun Celik was one of hundreds of people whose flight from London Gatwick to Istanbul was delayed by hours due to fog on December 28, 2024.

What happened in the meantime, with multiple flight delays at the airport. The busiest Christmas since the Covid pandemicHe saw thousands of people waiting for a seat in the terminal.

She says it was “severe” to wait just 20 minutes to use the toilet because of the “overcrowding”.

“The fridges were empty and there wasn’t enough food for everyone and all the restaurants were struggling to seat people,” he told the BBC.

The fog-related disruption lasted for three days, affecting thousands of Christmas passengers at airports across the UK.

So why are so many flights delayed under such circumstances?

“Airplanes can fly safely in fog, but airports go into a kind of slow motion,” says travel expert Simon Calder.

“The aircraft follows a beam from the instrument landing system. The beam must not break, which can happen in fog,” he tells the BBC.

And when there are strong winds, for safety, The planes have to be spaced more apart. More than usual

Despite Heathrow’s trial of artificial intelligence to help planes land in low visibility, controllers in ground towers still need to clearly see an aircraft approaching before issuing landing clearance. Aviation expert Scott Bateman MBE wrote on X.

Most modern aircraft can land automatically in the worst fog, he says, but in practice visibility limits are imposed so that pilots can see enough to taxi from the runway.

Mr Calder adds: “If fog or strong winds require air traffic controllers to increase the distance between aircraft by 50 per cent, capacity is immediately reduced by a third – and cancellations begin. “

When things are going smoothly, there is a take-off or landing every 65 seconds on Gatwick’s runway. At Heathrow, schedules are based on aircraft landing 80 seconds apart.

With that little margin for error, Mr Calder estimates around 75,000 passengers were affected by delays and cancellations in the Christmas fog.

And With upcoming snowfall warningshe advises travelers to be prepared for further disruptions to their flights.

“Britain has seen something astonishing. snow closure, Where the big airports haven’t been able to cope easily,” he says, referring to an incident in 2010 where millions of passengers saw cancellations at Heathrow due to snow.

It also snowed. Manchester Airport will close both of its runways. In December 2022 and again in January 2023, flights were diverted to Dublin and Paris.

Although the sheer cost of disruption on this scale has forced British airports to invest heavily in hardware and training to clear snow faster. It’s compelling, but don’t expect us to compete with airports like Iceland and Greenland.

Mr Calder says we will never be as good as other countries at keeping an efficient schedule in unusual weather.

“Historically the UK has had pleasant weather. It is difficult to justify spending millions preparing for an unexpected event.”

And there is no good news on the horizon because in the future, we can expect more disruption from climate change-related weather, says Dr. Ella Gilbert, a climatologist with the British Antarctic Survey.

Climate warming increases the frequency and intensity of rain and snow events, making storms “stronger and more frequent,” she says. It also means more instances of aircraft turbulence.

James and Madison King experienced a long delay on their flight home from Stockholm to the UK on Christmas Eve due to fog.

They were within touching distance of home when their pilot announced that they did not have enough fuel for a 50-minute holding pattern at London Gatwick, so they flew to Dublin to refuel and then from there. went back to where they started in Stockholm.

James says he has yet to be reimbursed for £200 in hotel and dinner expenses during an extra overnight stay in Stockholm.

At the heart of it all is National Air Traffic Service Nets, which steps in to restrict traffic in UK skies during bad weather – forcing airlines to tear up schedules.

“Basically, pilots don’t want to fly through storms,” ​​Knotts told the BBC.

The organization explained that during turbulence from storm clouds, passengers feel uneasy — and pilots will often want to deviate from their expected routes, ending up in unexpected parts of the sky and at different times.

“Because of this, we have to coordinate with pilots to establish a new route in relation to any other aircraft they are sharing airspace with, as well as ensure that the original Traffic should be isolated from any unexpected surges,” Knotts said.

“If the restrictions are lifted too soon, they can endanger the densely populated airspace, while on the other hand, keeping the restrictions in place longer than necessary can lead to unnecessary delays, which no one wants. “

It says it has measures in place to mitigate the problems, including blocking Met Office weather equipment that can help airlines and airports predict bad weather.

When flights to or from a UK or EU airport are delayed or cancelled, airlines have a duty of care to you, including:

• Providing food and accommodation if necessary, and transporting you to your destination. The airline must arrange for you to get on an alternative flight at no extra cost.
• Your airline should allow you to choose between getting a refund or being booked on an alternative flight.
• For short-haul flights, the compensation limit starts after a three-hour delay – but it’s only payable if the delay is considered to be within the airline’s control, i.e. if your plane is due to fog. You won’t be entitled to it if it’s stopped, a snow storm or a safety event.

Read more here.