Some of Britain’s major airports, including London’s Gatwick and Manchester airports in northern England, are experiencing delays to their flight schedules due to air traffic restrictions imposed by fog. The air traffic control agency NATS has warned users to check with airlines about the status of their flights, with no word yet on when the situation will return to normal.

“Due to widespread fog, temporary air traffic restrictions have been implemented at a number of UK airports. Restrictions of this kind are only in place to maintain safety,” said a NATS spokesman. This source said they are monitoring the situation closely with an expert from the Met Office and are working closely with airports and airlines “to minimise disruption”.

A spokesman for Manchester airport said that, like others, it has had “some delays as a result of the fog. In most cases, they have been brief and have caused no disruption to our schedule,” he said.
Low-cost carrier easyJet has also confirmed that it has experienced disruption to some of its departures. “While this is outside our control, we are doing everything we can to minimise the impact of these delays,” a spokesman said.

“Temporary air traffic restrictions have been put in place due to fog causing poor visibility. Some flights may be delayed throughout the day,“ a spokesperson for Gatwick Airport said. “London Gatwick apologises for any inconvenience. Passengers should contact their airline for further information,“ they added.

At Gatwick 26 flights are delayed by at least an hour up to 11am according to its live arrivals board and two flights are cancelled. At Manchester airport 16 arrivals are delayed by about an hour up to 11am. The thick fog will continue on Saturday according to the Met Office, with some areas seeing visibility reduced to just 100 metres.

The worst of the fog is forecast to hit the South East and central England, while East Anglia and parts of South Wales will also be affected. Forecasters have not issued any fog weather warnings yet but the Met Office said it will monitor the situation across the weekend.