Thousands of holidaymakers are suffering fresh disruption on Monday as more flights are delayed and cancelled at Gatwick Airport.
Thick fog forced airlines to rip up schedules over the weekend, causing misery for travelers seeking to escape the winter gloom and see in the New Year abroad.
More than 20 flights planned for the West Sussex airport on Monday were cancelled in advance and passengers are being warned of delays throughout the day.
A Gatwick spokesperson said: “Temporary air traffic restrictions have been put in place due to fog causing poor visibility.”
Follow the latest updates below...
Met Office issues amber warning as heavy rain forecast to hit northern Scotland
15:22 , Daniel KeaneA weather warning of heavy rain has been upgraded to amber for part of northern Scotland on Hogmanay.
The Met Office alert, which warns that flooding and travel disruption is likely, is in force from midnight until 5pm on Tuesday in Moray and the Highlands.
A yellow weather warning of heavy rain and snow is currently in force across most of Scotland on Monday and Tuesday.
Reduced DLR service in east London
14:18 , Daniel KeaneThere is currently no DLR service between Shadwell and Bank, according to TfL.
Weather has 'significantly improved', says air traffic control provider
12:32 , Daniel KeaneAir traffic control provider Nats has said that weather conditions that caused disruption to UK airports over the weekend have “significantly improved”.
“Only a few air traffic regulations remain, and these are within normal operating limits,” a spokesperson said.
“Passengers should still check the status of their flight with their airline, as there may be knock-on impacts to the usual flying schedule.”
EasyJet says 'small number of flights' were cancelled
11:53 , Daniel KeaneA spokesperson for easyJet said: “Unfortunately, a small number of flights this morning to and from London Gatwick were cancelled due to the knock-on impact of air traffic control restrictions from poor weather conditions yesterday.
“Customers were notified in advance to minimise the impact on their plans and provided with options to rebook before travelling or receive a refund, as well as hotel accommodation and meals where required.
“The safety and well-being of our customers and crew is our highest priority and while this is outside of our control, we would like to apologise to customers for the inconvenience caused.”
Gatwick ‘returning to normal’ after fog disruption
11:20 , Daniel KeaneGatwick Airport has said operations are “returning to normal” after four days of fog-related flight restrictions.
A spokesperson said: “Temporary air traffic restrictions in place over the weekend due to fog have been lifted.
“A small number of flights have been cancelled in advance to avoid last-minute cancellations, but operations are now returning to normal.
“London Gatwick apologises for any inconvenience.”
Heavy rain caused by system moving in from Atlantic
11:08 , Daniel KeaneSenior Met Office forecaster Craig Snell said the heavy rain and strong winds were caused by a system moving in from the Atlantic.
“The winds also picking up for Northern Ireland and northern England through New Year’s Eve as well, with rain arriving into that part of the world – basically quite an unsettled last day of the year for the northern half of the UK,” he said.
“To the south, we will see some rain later on New Year’s Eve, but it shouldn’t cause too many problems, apart from if you’re out celebrating – you might get a bit damp.”
London faces 45mph gusts on New Year's Eve
10:45London is braced for an extremely unsettled start to 2025 with heavy snow, rain and wind expected to cause travel disruption over New Year’s Eve.
Almost every part of the country is covered by at least one of the multiple weather warnings that have been issued by the Met Office between Monday and Thursday.
The Met Office is forecasting gusts up to 45mph on Tuesday evening - when thousands will descend on central London for the annual New Year fireworks display.
The wind is expected to be even stronger on New Year’s Day with forecasters predicting gusts up to 58mph
Read our full story here.
Gatwick delays 'decreasing', according to tracking website
10:27 , Daniel KeaneSome positive news for travellers this morning as airport monitoring site Flight Stats forecasts that delays at Gatwick are “low and decreasing”.
However, there has been no official update from the airport yet on the number of delays and cancellations.
Drivers face disruption due to weather
10:07 , Daniel KeaneDrivers are facing disruption today due to strong winds.
National Highways said the A66 is closed to “high-sided and vulnerable vehicles” in both directions between the M6 in Penrith, Cumbria, and the A1M Scotch Corner in North Yorkshire because of strong winds.
Motorists planning to cross the Pennines are advised to consider alternative routes such as the A69.
The #A66 is closed both ways between the #M6 #Penrith in #Cumbria & the #A1M #ScotchCorner in #NorthYorkshire to high sided and vulnerable vehicles due to strong winds.
— National Highways: North-West (@HighwaysNWEST) December 30, 2024
Please plan ahead & consider alternate routes such as the A69.
For further info: https://t.co/oszhkj4m66 pic.twitter.com/GjqNlLq1C3
Current weather at Gatwick overcast
09:46 , Daniel KeaneThe current weather conditions at Gatwick airport are overcast.
There is no fog forecast throughout the day, with hopes that the worst of the delays and cancellations at the airport may be over.
Instead, Met Office forecasters expect a dry, breezy and mild day.
Disruption on London rail network
09:23 , Daniel KeaneTravellers have been warned of rail disruption amid the gloomy weather.
There is disruption to services between London St Pancras International and Luton expected until 10.30am following an earlier fault on a train at St Albans.
Major engineering works are also taking place at Liverpool Street station over the New Year, which will impact services.
Weather warnings in place across the UK
09:06 , Daniel KeaneThe Met Office has put weather warnings in place across the UK ahead of an unsettled period.
A weather warning is in place on Monday where strong winds could impact travellers between 11am and 6pm in areas including Durham, Northumberland, Cumbria and North Yorkshire.
On New Year’s Eve, delays to all types of transport are “likely” as strong winds persist and may reach speeds of up to 70mph in England and Northern Ireland, the forecaster warned.
An alert for wind is in place from 7am until 11pm on Tuesday and covers most of Northern Ireland, including Londonderry, Tyrone, Antrim and Armagh, as well as just north of York in England up to Glasgow, Edinburgh and Greenock.
Heavy downpours and snowfall may cause “significant disruption” across northern Scotland, with up to 140mm of rainfall on Monday and Tuesday.
Latest on London transport delays
08:46 , Daniel KeaneThe London transport network is also suffering disruption this morning, according to the TfL website.
There are severe delays on the Elizabeth line between Whitechapel and Shenfield due to a power supply failure.
There is also Piccadilly line service between Rayners Lane and Uxbridge due a shortage of Piccadilly line trains.
There are also severe delays on the Windrush line due to an earlier faulty train at Surrey Quays.
What are passengers entitled to if their flight has been affected by fog?
08:31 , Daniel KeaneMany travellers who find their flight is cancelled or severely delayed today will be entitled to compensation.
However, this will depend on the distance of the flight.
For flights under 1,500km (932 miles), such as from Glasgow to Amsterdam, it is at least two hours.
For flights between 1,500km (932 miles) and 3,500km (2,175 miles), such as from Manchester to Marrakesh, it is at least three hours.
You are entitled to a refund if you have been delayed by more than five hours.
Airlines are only liable for compensation if the reason for a delay is deemed within their control, such as a fault with the aircraft or pilot sickness.
More than 20 flights cancelled at Gatwick
08:18 , Daniel KeaneMore than 20 flights planned for Gatwick airport on Monday have been cancelled in advance and passengers are being warned of delays throughout the day.
A total of 21 flights departing from Heathrow have faced delays in the past 24 hours, according to data from FlightAware.
Thousands hit by weekend flight chaos
07:57 , Michael HowieMonday’s delays follow two days of disruption at the UK’s busiest airports, with Saturday’s flights at Stansted Airport affected by the murky conditions.
Live departure boards also showed delays at Heathrow, Luton, Gatwick and Manchester Airports.
On Sunday morning, a spokesman for Gatwick said temporary air traffic restrictions remained in place because of poor visibility caused by fog and warned that some flights may be delayed throughout the day.
Some 769 flights are planned at the West Sussex airport on Sunday, making it the busiest day of the Christmas holiday period.
Gatwick Airport disruption continues
07:53 , Michael HowieA number of flights at Gatwick Airport are disrupted on Monday morning as the airline suffers knock-on delays following a weekend of weather-related chaos.
Nine departures scheduled for between 7.30am and 11am have been delayed, with easyJet the worst-affected airline.
Affected flights include the 7.40am flight to Reykjavik and the 8.45am flight to Berlin.
Good morning
07:41 , Michael HowieWelcome to the Standard’s coverage of travel disruption as thousands of Londoners seek to escape the capital for the New Year.
We’ll bring you the major developments after a weekend of chaos for holidaymakers booked on flights from a number of airports, in particular Gatwick.
