Chaos at Heathrow as 250 flights to be cancelled today

Updated
Chaos at Heathrow as 250 flights to be cancelled today
Chaos at Heathrow as 250 flights to be cancelled today

Passengers at Heathrow Airport face even more delays today, as around 20 per cent of flights - around 250 in total - are expected to be cancelled as more snow falls.

BBC News reports that BA, Air France, Aer Lingus, Lufthansa and TAP Portugal flights have been affected as the accumulation of snow and poor visibility creates problems.

A Heathrow spokesman told BBC News that there was a "high probability of around 2-6cm of accumulating snow and low visibility at periods throughout the day."

They added: "This will reduce capacity of the airport and without action would cause significant disruption to passengers and flights."

More than 400 flights were cancelled at Heathrow on Friday and a further 100 were cancelled yesterday.

The Express reports that the airport was described as resembling a "refugee camp" yesterday morning, as stranded passengers were forced to sleep on terminal floors.

Other passengers were held on a plane for six hours awaiting take off, before being told that their flight had been cancelled.

According to The Mirror, some passengers spent up to 12 hours in queues. The delays have caused chaos all over Europe and affected connecting flights all over the world.

Arguments were breaking out over blankets and food, and nearby hotels were charging up to £600 per night for rooms.

So far Gatwick Airport has fared better, with just 50 flights cancelled on Friday, despite being hit by an inch more snow than Heathrow.

The Daily Mail reports that this is because it had boosted its snow-clearing capabilities after studying methods used at Scandinavian airports.

However a spokesman for LHR Airports, which owns Heathrow, told the Daily Mail that it is unfair to compare the two airports as Heathrow has a much larger area to clear and has to deal with more aircraft.

Passengers are urged to check the status of their flights online before heading to Heathrow.

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