'Extreme weather' blamed for Gatwick shutdown

At least 60 flights in and out of Gatwick have been delayed this morning due to ice on the runway.

The runway was shut at 05.50 due to what the airport described as "extreme weather conditions".

Hundreds of passengers faced flight disruption as the airport worked to de-ice the runway and taxiways.

Passengers were being advised to check in as normal but then faced long delays before their flights could take off.

The runway re-opened at around 10.30 when work to relieve a large backlog of flights started.

Some departures were delayed for at least four hours while inbound long haul flights suffered delays of more than eight hours. 

"The runway was closed early this morning due to extreme weather conditions that were not forecast," a Gatwick spokeswoman said.

But one airline source accused the airport of forgetting to de-ice the runway.

Up to 60 flights due to either depart or land at Gatwick had been affected by 08.45.

Some inbound services were being diverted to other airports while others were cancelled.

One passenger who contacted TravelMole said they had been sat on their aircraft since 06.30 and were being told that 11.00 would be the earliest they would be taking off.Report by Phil Davies Travel Mole website.

Published: 11.12.2008