Just two weeks after the “Beast from the East” brought the UK to a standstill, another wave of cold weather and snow dubbed the “mini-beast from the east” is causing disruption to flights.
Around 70 flights have been cancelled at Heathrow Airport as a result of the weather, mainly to ease congestion caused by having to de-ice aircraft. Airlines affected include British Airways, KLM Lufthansa and Air Portugal.
The Met Office has issued amber warnings for snow for much of the England including the North-west, Midlands, and South East. The weather will move westwards with Wales and the South West of England expected to have significant snowfall on Sunday which is likely to cause disruption in travel from Cardiff and Bristol Airport.
Other airports experiencing delays or cancellations today include Birmingham, Manchester and Gatwick.
Passengers are advised to check with their airline and to allow extra time to travel to their airports.
British Airways has cancelled the most flights out of Heathrow and a spokesperson for the airline said: “During cold weather conditions aircraft have to be de-iced prior to departure to ensure that they are safe, and additional measures are being taken to ensure the safety of our operation is maintained at all times.”
An estimated 14,000 people are expected to be affected by weather based disruption this weekend as the snow affects not just flights but Train, bus and car journeys.