Airports hit by bad weather

19/12/2009

Airports across the country are bracing themselves for major delays as the UK is set to be blanketed in snow over the weekend.

London Luton and Gatwick airports have already been forced to close temporarily because of the heavy snowfall and others are set to follow amid forecasts of more snow across the country.

Thousands of passengers have already faced delays because of the problems, which have come at one of the busiest weekends of the winter, as people fly out for Christmas.

Gatwick was closed for seven hours, while Ryanair confirmed delays to at least 35 flights on Friday alone.

Some incoming flights have been diverted to other airports including Stansted, which has so far avoided the heavy snowfall and has been able to cope with the extra traffic.

Meanwhile, it has been reported that some airports in the UK are beginning to see an upturn in passenger numbers following the recession.

Liverpool John Lennon Airport saw an 8.2 per cent jump in passenger numbers in November, representing the airport's first increase in passenger numbers for over a year, the Liverpool Daily Post reports.