Thick Fog Cancels Flights at Heathrow Airport

Over 120 flights have been cancelled at Heathrow Airport due to thick fog, as the Met Office issues severe weather alert.

Heavy fog has caused severe interruptions across England and Europe, affecting the UK's busiest hub. Newcastle Airport was forced to cancel flights, whilst London City Airport and Stansted Airport also reported disruptions because of the weather.

A spokeswoman for Heathrow airport said airlines were cancelling flights to allow more room for aircraft to land, to ensure safety in the obscuring fog.

The Met Office has issued a 17-hour severe weather warning for Monday and Tuesday in the South, Midlands and North of England. The fog is plummeting visibility to 50 metres on hills.

Thick Fog Cancels Flights

The fog has also spread across Europe. According to airport authorities, Warsaw airports in Poland had to redirect incoming flights to neighboring cities, or delay planes from landing until the fog temporarily dissipated.

Passengers have been advised to expect further disruption today, as the heavy fog perseveres. Around 650 arrivals and 650 departures are scheduled for Tuesday, but the airport will have to deal with knock-on effects from yesterday's disruption. By 7:15pm Monday, 136 flights were cancelled.

Departures from Heathrow experienced an average 45-minute delay, whilst arrivals were behind by about 10 minutes.

A spokesman for the airport said, "We have been distributing water to those passengers who unfortunately have had to wait. We have been accepting a small number of flights diverted from other airports to help out.

"We would advise passengers to check with their operator for latest information," he added.

"Blood rain" is also forecast in time for Halloween, said the Met Office. Saharan red dust blown over mixes with the wet weather to create a red coloured rain, which is to affect parts of the southeast of England this week.

A Met Office spokesman commented: "Where there has been rain in the southeast there has been red dust brought down with it. When the rain dries off it leaves a red residue."

By 8:00am today, Heathrow reported 39 flights to be cancelled - 15 departures and 24 arrivals.

All affected airports are warning passengers of delays, and are advising them to keep an eye on the website and airport flight information.

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