A British Airways flight from Santiago, Chile, was due to land at Heathrow at 10am. It will now arrive at 9pm – an 11-hour delay caused by violent thunderstorms that have thrown the UK's two busiest airports into chaos.
More than 900 flights to and from Heathrow and Gatwick have been delayed, according to tracker FlightAware, with dozens cancelled. Passengers faced hours of uncertainty as NATS, the UK's air traffic control service, warned that disruption would continue into Sunday.
“More than 900 flights delayed up to 11 hours at Heathrow and Gatwick due to severe thunderstorms.”
“Severe thunderstorms across the south east of England and Europe continue to impact flights,” NATS said in a statement. “Aircraft need to avoid affected areas and be spaced further apart, which limits the number of flights that can operate safely.”
The storms follow a record-breaking heatwave – the hottest June day ever in the UK, 37.3C in Suffolk on Friday. Eurocontrol mapping showed the most severe air traffic control delays in the airspace between south-east England and north-western Europe, where storm clouds are concentrated.
Passenger Adam Joseph, 29, was stranded at Venice airport without air conditioning. His flight to Gatwick, due to depart at 12:30 local time, had been delayed by more than four hours. He told BBC News he was waiting with no clear information.
EasyJet pre-emptively cancelled a number of flights from Gatwick, offering refunds and accommodation. Heathrow and Gatwick both advised passengers to check with airlines before travelling.
The thunderstorms that developed overnight brought lightning strikes that damaged homes: a property in Crawley was hit, and a roof in Streatham, south London, was destroyed by a blaze sparked by a bolt.
An amber weather warning for extreme heat has been extended, with 33C temperatures expected to linger over London, the South East and East Anglia until 9pm Sunday. NATS said the forecast for UK airspace on Sunday looked generally fine, but further thunderstorms in Europe could continue to disrupt flights.