Thunderstorms disrupt flights at Heathrow, Gatwick with delays up to six hours

LONDON — Hundreds of flights were delayed and dozens cancelled at London’s Heathrow and Gatwick airports on Saturday as thunderstorms disrupted air traffic across southeast England, with some passengers facing delays of up to six hours.More than 600 flights arriving at or departing from the UK’s two busiest airports were affected, according to flight tracking service FlightAware. By Saturday afternoon, at least 367 flights at Heathrow and 352 at Gatwick had been delayed.The UK’s air traffic control provider, NATS, said disruption caused by severe weather was expected to continue throughout the day.Eurocontrol, Europe’s air traffic management agency, said Heathrow and Gatwick were the only UK airports experiencing “heavy” weather-related delays, with the most significant disruption affecting airspace between southeast England and northwestern Europe.Gatwick Airport said temporary air traffic control restrictions had been introduced because of ongoing thunderstorms, while Heathrow advised passengers to check the status of their flights with airlines before travelling.Airlines including British Airways and EasyJet reported operational disruption. British Airways said it had adjusted parts of its schedule because of air traffic control restrictions caused by adverse weather, while EasyJet said it had cancelled some Gatwick flights in advance to minimize disruption.EasyJet said affected passengers were being offered options to rebook or receive refunds, as well as hotel accommodation and meals where necessary.Several passengers reported lengthy waits both at airports and onboard aircraft. The disruption comes as eastern and southeastern England remain under an amber extreme heat warning issued by the Met Office until Sunday morning, with forecasters warning that isolated thunderstorms are expected to intensify through Saturday afternoon.