Chaos at UK airport as snow sparks cancelled flights, diversions and huge delays | UK | News
Passengers at one of Britain’s major airports faced travel chaos on Friday (January 2) as many flights were canceled or diverted due to extreme weather conditions. At least 10 flights to and from Aberdeen International Airport (ABZ) were canceled or delayed due to heavy snowfall in the Scottish city.
It comes after the Met Office issued a heavy yellow snow and ice warning for parts of northern and eastern Scotland for 24 hours from midday on Friday. According to Flightradar24, a Wideroe flight from Bergen (BGO) was forced to return to the Norwegian airport when it failed to land in Aberdeen early this morning. Meanwhile, a flight of German Airways that was supposed to depart from Amsterdam (AMS) at 8.30 in the morning local time, and a KLM flight on the same route hours later, were also cancelled. Many of the planes that managed to land had to circle the coast of Scotland several times before attempting to land, causing serious delays.
Widerøe’s flight WF392 from Bergen to Aberdeen was forced to return to Norway after the aircraft was seen circling the airport while landing in the early hours of this morning.
A spokesman said: “Widerøe flight WF392 from Bergen to Aberdeen had to return to Bergen today due to heavy snowfall in Aberdeen. The runway at Aberdeen Airport was not sufficiently cleared of snow for a safe landing.
“While the aircraft was in a holding pattern for conditions to improve, the airport could not prepare a runway with adequate braking conditions. As a result, the decision was made to return to Bergen.
“All passengers traveling from Bergen to Aberdeen, as well as passengers booked for a return flight from Aberdeen to Bergen, are being rebooked for later departures today. We apologize for any delays.”
Meanwhile, an easyJet flight from Aberdeen to London Gatwick, scheduled to depart at 06:10 in the morning, was delayed by more than two hours. A spokesman for the airline said: “Flight EZY856 from Aberdeen to London Gatwick this morning was delayed on departure due to air traffic control restrictions imposed as a result of adverse weather conditions and has now arrived at London Gatwick. Although this is beyond our control, we apologize for any inconvenience this has caused.”
While flights are landing more frequently in Aberdeen on Friday evenings, many planes are still being forced to circle over the city or the coast before attempting to land, according to the latest flight tracking data. For example, Widerøe’s flight WF398, which departed from Bergen and was scheduled to arrive at 18.35 local time, circled the Scottish coast at least seven times and landed nearly an hour late.
The Met Office’s yellow warning was already in place as far south as Angus and Perthshire, while two separate yellow warnings for heavy snow came into force at midday on Friday in parts of the Highlands and north-east Scotland. The amber warning warns that 10-20 cm of snow accumulation may occur at low levels, 30-40 cm of snow accumulation is possible on higher ground, and winds may cause temporary snowstorm conditions.
A spokesman for Aberdeen International Airport said: “The airport is currently operational and our teams will continue to work throughout the day to clear snow and thaw the airport.
“We advise our passengers to check the status of their flights with their airlines and to be more careful when traveling to the airport.”
