Christmas travellers across the UK are facing severe disruption as heavy snow and ice blanket many regions, with up to 25cm expected in parts of England. Major airports, including Heathrow and Gatwick, have experienced closures and cancellations, leaving thousands of passengers stranded.
Heathrow Airport closed on Saturday but expects some flights to depart from 0600 GMT on Sunday, though no arrivals are scheduled until at least 1000 GMT. Gatwick reopened at 1445 GMT after clearing 10cm of snow, but delays and cancellations continue, with no inbound flights for the rest of Saturday. British Airways, Easyjet and Aer Lingus have cancelled all flights from Gatwick, except the BA2055 to Sharm el Sheikh.
Other airports, including London Stansted, Luton, Birmingham, Exeter, London City, Aberdeen, Bristol, Southampton and Cardiff, have also faced disruption. Scottish airports are open but affected by closures elsewhere, while in Northern Ireland, freezing conditions persist following some of the heaviest snowfall in 25 years.
Roads and railways are also affected, with several major routes closed and bus services disrupted in the south. The Highways Agency urged motorists to reconsider travel, noting abandoned vehicles and jack-knifed lorries have blocked gritters. In Wales, two health boards appealed for medical staff and 4x4 owners to help transport workers stranded at home.
Passengers have endured long delays on planes. Helen Abel, a solicitor from north London, spent nearly 11 hours on a Sri Lankan Airlines flight at Heathrow bound for Sri Lanka. Another passenger, Stuart Coles, sat for five hours on a Virgin plane from Miami that could not reach its stand due to uncleared ice and snow. He noted that many Americans and Canadians were surprised at the disruption caused by relatively little snow.
