'All flights' from Manchester Airport disrupted and many delayed by at least an hour due to fog
All flights to and from Manchester Airport have been disrupted with many delayed by a number of hours due to heavy fog.
More than 40 flights have been delayed or cancelled as dense fog covers the region.
According to traffic monitoring service INRIX, arrivals are delayed by up to 80 minutes and departures by up to 70 minutes - but some flights are currently set to depart around three hours later than planned. Many have also been cancelled.
A Manchester Airport spokesperson said: “Like most airports across the country, we have experienced some delays as a result of fog. In most instances these delays have been short and have not caused disruption to our schedule.“Passengers due to travel should prepare as normal and aim to arrive at the airport in line with their airline’s advice – this is usually two hours ahead of a short-haul flight and three hours ahead of a long-haul flight.”
Travel restrictions are in place at several UK airports due to fog, the country’s main air traffic control (ATC) provider Nats said.
Travellers are being urged to check with their airline.
A Nats spokesperson said: “Due to widespread fog, temporary air traffic restrictions are in place at several airports across the UK today. Restrictions of this sort are only ever applied to maintain safety.“We continue to monitor the situation and have a Met Office expert embedded within our operation to ensure we have the latest available information. Our teams are working closely with the airports and airlines to minimise disruption.”Passengers are being told to arrive in plenty of time and check in as usual, with airlines saying they will update those affected on apps and text messages.
A number of airlines including Ryanair and Jet two have warned passengers their flight may be disrupted.
A statement on the Ryanair website reads: "Potential disruptions to/from the UK (Fri 27 Dec) due to fog. Affected passengers will be notified and any passengers travelling to/from the UK on Fri 27 Dec should check their Ryanair app for the latest updates on their flight.
"We regret any inconvenience caused to passengers by these weather conditions, which are outside of Ryanair's control and affect all airlines operating to/from the UK Fri 27 Dec."
A warning on the Jet2 website reads: "Our operations team are monitoring the current and forecasted UK weather to ensure we have the most up to date information for all Jet2.com departing and arriving customers on 27th December 2024.
"Much of the UK are experiencing heavy fog and mist this morning and in parts the MET office have confirmed that this will continue for most of the day.
"If you are travelling with Jet2.com we plan to operate our flights as close to schedule as possible, however, there may be some disruption should the weather deteriorate.
"We advise all customers to check in as scheduled (our check in desks close 40 minutes prior to your scheduled departure time) and our friendly Red Teams in the terminal will keep you up to date."