Heavy snow has forced multiple flights to be diverted or delayed across the UK – we’ll be bringing you the very latest updates, pictures and video on this breaking news story.
Multiple flights are experiencing difficulty taking off or landing at airports across the UK due to heavy snow.
The chaos has included a Singapore Airlines flight diverted from Manchester Airport to Gatwick twice due to difficult landing conditions. Several flights to Manchester have also been diverted throughout the day, including to Paris, Dublin and Glasgow during the closure.
Though the runway re-opened at 9.30am, the airport has warned of continued delays to flights arriving and leaving, with some flights cancelled. Singapore Airlines flight SQ52 left Changi Airport at 2.13am local time and was due to arrive in Manchester at 9.25am. But this flight was re-routed to London and landed at Gatwick Airport at 9.48am.
An hour later it took off to Manchester, according to flightradar24, but the plane circled above the Peak District for around 45 minutes before turning back. The flight landed back at London Gatwick at around 1.55pm.
An incident was also spotted in Leeds with three flights scheduled to depart the airport reportedly taxied back to their gates just before they were due to take off. It is believed the RYR7WL to Lanzarote has departed Leeds Bradford airport in the last hour. Delays to Leeds Bradford has seen several flights pushed back until tomorrow, with a 8.20pm flight from Prague now expected to land at 00:45am.
A statement from Leeds Bradford airport has confirmed disruptions are likely to affect later flights, and that the airport will now close their security screening service at 10.45pm. Their statement reads: “UPDATE 14:00: The runway has now reopened, and operations are resuming. Due to a backlog of departing flights, some disruption is expected to continue throughout the day however we expect this situation to improve. For the latest updates on your flight, please contact your airline directly.
“Security screening will close at 22:45 this evening, so all departing customers must ensure they arrive at the airport before this time. Customers on delayed arrivals who are parked in an official LBA car park, will not incur additional overstay charges upon exit. There is no need to contact us or amend your booking, please proceed to the exit barrier as usual.
“A huge thank you to our customers for your continued patience and understanding, and a special thanks to our teams on the ground who have worked tirelessly to clear the snow. If you need to speak with us, please email customercare@lba.co.uk and our team will do their utmost to reply as quickly as they can.”
Manchester Airport says it is up to airlines to get passengers to their original destination. Passengers diverted to airports in other countries are expected to be flown back to Manchester but those at airports that are closer, such as Birmingham, may be put on buses to the city.
The furthest diversion appears to be the Air Transat flight to Toronto, due to arrive in Manchester at 7.10am, which has gone to Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris.
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