DOZENS of flights from Heathrow have been cancelled and hundreds more delayed amid the busiest Christmas getaway surge on record.
Currently, 33 flights have been axed today and another 58 tomorrow, with Met Office weather warnings in place for “severe” 80mph gales.
Simon JonesPassengers queue at Heathrow Airport terminal five[/caption]
PA:Press Association90 flights have been cancelled[/caption]
MET OfficeA yellow weather warning for wind is also in place[/caption]
And 200 further flights are currently delayed.
A Heathrow spokesperson said “a small number of flights” have been cancelled on Saturday due to “strong winds and airspace restrictions”.
They added: “This will ensure the vast majority of passengers can still safely travel as planned.
“We know how important travel at this time of year is and have extra colleagues on hand in our terminals to support people on their journeys.
“We encourage passengers to check in with their airlines for the latest information about their flights.”
‘BUSIEST EVER’
It comes after Heathrow said earlier this week it was preparing for the “busiest Christmas ever”.
The West London airport expects the number of passengers travelling through its terminals on December 25 to be 21 per cent higher than on the same day last year.
It also predicts that passenger numbers for the month as a whole will exceed the previous record of 6.7 million in 2023.
The airport made the forecast after confirming it served 6.5 million passengers last month in the “busiest ever November”.
Heathrow chief executive Thomas Woldbye said: “This year has been all about providing high levels of service for record amounts of passengers at Heathrow, and November was no different.
“As we embrace the festive season, our focus remains on ensuring smooth, joyful journeys – whether it is helping passengers get away for Christmas to reunite with their loved ones, or making sure cargo reaches its destination on time.”
Meanwhile, the Met Office is also forecasting snow for some in the coming hours.
Flurries are set to hit Scotland today, before spreading to northern England at around 11pm.
Meanwhile, a yellow warning for wind is currently also in place, covering the north and northwest, including Manchester and Newcastle, as well as most of northern Ireland and all of Scotland.
Sunday’s warning will also include London, the South East and South West, the East and West Midlands, Yorkshire and all of Wales and Northern Ireland.
Westerly winds are forecast to pick up over Saturday with 50-60mph gusts expected, with a small chance of some reaching 80mph.
Sunday’s warning will also include London, the South East and South West, the East and West Midlands, Yorkshire and all of Wales and Northern Ireland.
The strong winds will be more widespread tomorrow, meteorologists said, but the weather will be “exceptionally mild” by Christmas Day.
The Met Office said: “The strongest winds are expected across the far north of Scotland on Saturday afternoon and evening, with the potential for gusts in excess of 80mph in coastal districts including Orkney.
“Dangerous coastal conditions can be expected too, with large waves an additional hazard, especially in respect to causeways. This period of strong winds may lead to some transport disruption, including ferry delays or cancellations.
“Frequent blustery showers will also be a feature on Saturday and may merge into a longer spell of rain for a time in the far north and north-west.
“Those showers could turn to snow on the hills in the north-west of Scotland on Saturday evening, and then overnight and into Sunday.
“Snow will be focused over hills, where several centimetres may fall, but some sleet, snow and hail may fall to quite low levels for a time, bringing possible icy conditions by Sunday morning.”
MET OfficeSnow is set to hit Scotland and northern England today[/caption]