London's two largest airports - Heathrow and Gatwick - faced massive flight delays due to a thunderstorm front that covered northwestern Europe. As of Saturday evening, more than 800 departing and arriving flights were delayed, reports UNN citing the BBC.
Details
According to air traffic control services, schedule disruptions are likely to continue until the end of the day. In some cases, delays amount to many hours. In particular, a flight from Santiago to London, which was supposed to land at 10:00, is now expected only around 21:00.
US-Iran talks in Switzerland caused disruptions at Zurich Airport21.06.26, 18:21
Eurocontrol reported that the biggest disruptions occurred on routes between southeastern England and northwestern Europe, where a powerful thunderstorm front formed. According to the service's forecasts, an unstable air mass from northern Spain to southern Sweden could cause new thunderstorms.
Due to dangerous weather conditions, aircraft crews are forced to change routes, avoiding thunderclouds and areas of severe turbulence. This leads to an accumulation of delays and multi-hour disruptions in the flight schedule.