airport

THE ongoing heatwave has caused chaos at the UK’s airports with more than 1,000 flights either delayed or cancelled.

Airports affected on Saturday include Heathrow, Gatwick, and Edinburgh, with 1,019 flights delayed and 160 axed, as air traffic restrictions were put in place overnight.

London Heathrow had 440 flights delayed, Gatwick 425, 120 at Edinburgh, Leeds Bradford had 20 and London City had 14, according to the tracking website FlightRadar.

Heathrow had 103 flights cancelled, while Gatwick had 46, there were six at London City and five at Edinburgh.

A British Airways (BA) flight from Santiago, Chile, was the longest delayed, it had been due to land at 10am but is now expected to arrive at 9pm.

London saw its skies light up as lightning hit and downpours came in following day of extreme temperatures that saw the month’s record temperature broken on three consecutive days.

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Thunderstorms forced airports to limit the number of flights that could take off and land, meaning holidaymakers were left stranded or facing severe delays.

BA put the delays down to London’s “weather conditions,” pointing to the Met Office’s amber “extreme heat” warning which covered the capital, the south-east and East Anglia.

This has now been extended by the Met Office to cover Sunday until 9pm.

Gatwick Airport urged passengers to contact their airline to check the status of their flight.

A spokesperson said that temporary air traffic restrictions had caused flight cancellations and delays “due to thunderstorms”.

A spokesman for London City Airport said: “Flights are gradually returning to normal following this morning’s weather-related air traffic restrictions.

“There have been some associated delays and cancellations.”

The thunderstorm also caused Edinburgh Airport to be hit by the air space restrictions with four arrivals and 15 departures delayed.

Leeds Bradford Airport also suffered with three departures delayed Saturday morning.

A spokesman for British Airways said: “Like other airlines, we’ve had to make some adjustments to our schedule today due to Air Traffic Control restrictions caused by adverse weather conditions affecting parts of UK airspace.

“While the vast majority of our customers will be unaffected, we apologise for the inconvenience caused and our teams are working hard to help those impacted get their journeys back on track.”

A spokesman for NATS, which runs air traffic control in Britain, said: “Forecasted severe weather across the south-east of England is causing disruption to flights today, with aircraft needing to avoid affected areas.

“Our teams are managing traffic safely and working to reduce delays, but weather disruption is expected to continue through the rest of today.

“Passengers should contact their airline for the latest information on their flight.”

Friday saw the hottest June day on record with temperatures hitting 37.3C in Santon Downham, Suffolk, breaking the high of 36.7C recorded in Merryfield, Somerset, on Thursday and the record set by the famous summer of 1976.

While temperatures are predicted to fall over the weekend the Met Office still has an amber extreme heat warning in place until 9pm on Sunday.

An amber warning means officials expect significant impacts on health and social care services, with an increased risk of illness and deaths among older and vulnerable people.

The cooler weekend comes in the wake of several days of rare red heat warnings, the most severe warning where there is a danger to life.

A LESSER-VISITED airport is about to get a massive upgrade – its biggest in its 96-year history.

Hollywood in Los Angeles, USA, is known for being one of the most famous tourist spots in the world.

And most people will get there via LAX Airport – but don’t realise there is also Hollywood Burbank Airport.

The airport is not only closer to Hollywood, but also closer to Universal Studios Hollywood and Warner Bros. Studio Tour.

This October the airport will be opening its £1billion new terminal – called The Icon – which will replace the former historic terminal which opened back in 1930.

The new terminal will be bigger than the former one and have floor-to-ceiling glass windows, filling the terminal with natural light.

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When arriving at the airport, travellers will be greeted by a large canopy and plaza themed around ‘old Hollywood’.

Also inside will be a number of art installations, as well as a sleek bar with views of planes parked up.

To get to the 14 gates, passengers will head through an eight-lane TSA security area with modern screening technology.

There will be a central food court with restaurants and shops for travellers, with plenty of seating outside each gate.

The airport is often used by celebs due to being close to Hollywood.

Recent celeb sightings include actress Jennifer Garner and actor Neal McDonough.

The airport itself has even appeared on the big screen as a filming location, including in Ocean’s Eleven and The Office.

Holidaymakers have been warned not to pack the items in their bags

As countless Brits start to head off on their summer holidays soon, London Luton Airport issued a warning on social media for when travellers make their way back into Great Britain as some might be unknowingly bringing souvenirs and holiday gifts that are actually ‘illegal’ to have in their luggage.

The alert specifically warned against bringing four types of meat and meat-related products. These are restricted for travellers because of the risk that the products could hold contagious animal diseases like Foot and Mouth Disease which can survive in the meat and bones of deceased animals for long periods of time.

According to the official Government rules, travellers coming back from the EU cannot bring:

• cheese, milk and dairy products like butter and yoghurt
• pork
• beef
• lamb
• mutton
• goat
• venison
• other products made from these meats, for example sausages

When travelling back from the EU, you can bring some fish, poultry or other animal products like eggs or honey if it is for personal use. Powdered milk and special foods required for medical reasons may be allowed but under certain conditions, like being in unopened and branded packaging.

Travellers that break these rules and bring back banned food products can declare it to Border Force officers at customs who will take the items away to be destroyed.

If you don’t declare the banned food products, you could be fined up to £5,000 in England or even potentially be prosecuted according to Government guidance.

Border Force officers are also allowed to take away your products if they believe:

• You’ve brought it into the country illegally
• You have too much of a restricted product
• It’s been cross-contaminated

The guidance adds: “If you’re not sure about any of the products you’re bringing in, speak to a Border Force officer in the ‘red channel’ at customs or on the red point phone.”

If you’re travelling to Great Britain from a country outside of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein, the Faroe Islands and Greenland, or if you are landing in Northern Ireland, different rules apply.

However, you can bring any of the following items into Great Britain without restrictions:

• bread, but not sandwiches filled with meat or dairy products
• cakes without fresh cream
• biscuits
• chocolate and confectionery, but not those made with a lot of unprocessed dairy ingredients
• pasta and noodles, but not if mixed or filled with meat or meat products
• packaged soup, stocks and flavourings
• processed and packaged plant products, such as packaged salads and frozen plant material
• food supplements containing small amounts of an animal product, such as fish oil capsules

A full list of other restricted and banned items stemming from different countries can be found on the Gov.uk website.

Data experts have analysed UK airport punctuality figures for the first half of 2025, ranking airports by the lowest number of flights recorded as on time

Plenty of us will be filling up our suitcases this summer ahead of a well-deserved holiday. Whether you’re a spontaneous booker or someone who organises trips months in advance, there’s always a thrill about heading to an airport.

Yet, not every journey runs as seamlessly as we’d hope. Data specialists at SEO Backlinks examined UK airport punctuality statistics for the first six months of 2025 and ranked airports according to the lowest proportion of flights departing on schedule.

The results serve as a useful reminder to factor in potential disruption when preparing to leave home.

Daniel Weston, spokesperson for SEO Backlinks, said: “Flight time and ticket price are usually the first things people compare, but punctuality can make a huge difference to the start of a holiday.

“If you are booking a tight connection, travelling with children or paying for airport parking by the hour, a lower on-time score can quickly become expensive and stressful.

“Passengers should check the latest airport and airline status before leaving home, keep screenshots of disruption notices, and know when they may be entitled to support or compensation if a delay is within the airline’s control.”

So which UK airport suffers the worst delays?

Manchester Airport is where British travellers are most likely to experience a departure that doesn’t stick to the timetable.

The airport ranked bottom of the table, with merely 71.5% of flights departing on time. That indicates 28.5%, or roughly one in four passengers, failed to leave within the punctuality standard.

Birmingham International came in as the second worst performer, with Stansted and Bournemouth joint third, both recording just 73.5% of flights departing on schedule.

While London airports didn’t monopolise the bottom 10, both Stansted and Gatwick featured in the rankings, highlighting that the problem isn’t confined to regional airports alone.

The top 10 UK airports most likely to delay your holiday are:

• Manchester, 71.5% of flights on time, 28.5% not recorded as on time
• Birmingham International, 72.5% of flights on time, 27.5% not recorded as on time
• Stansted, 73.5% of flights on time, 26.5% not recorded as on time
• Bournemouth, 73.5% of flights on time, 26.5% not recorded as on time
• Bristol, 74.5% of flights on time, 25.5% not recorded as on time
• Teesside, 75% of flights on time, 25% not recorded as on time
• Newcastle, 75.5% of flights on time, 24.5% not recorded as on time
• Gatwick, 75.5% of flights on time, 24.5% not recorded as on time
• Jersey, 75.5% of flights on time, 24.5% not recorded as on time
• Exeter, 76% of flights on time, 24% not recorded as on time

A Manchester Airport spokesperson told the Express: “This analysis of the Civil Aviation Authority’s data is misleading as it ignores important context – context which is directly referenced by the CAA in the notes accompanying the research and in the research itself. Punctuality is affected by factors that are outside of an airport’s control.

The two most significant factors contributing to delays in the last year have been industrial action affecting air traffic control in Europe, and the weather. These were exacerbated by airspace restrictions above conflict zones meaning airports with significant long-haul networks, like Manchester, were more significantly affected than others.

“As an industry we are working collectively to achieve the best possible on-time departure rates, while protecting flight schedules and avoiding the need for cancellations.”

DUBAI is currently building what will be the biggest, and possibly the most efficient, airport in the world.

Not only will it see millions of passengers through its doors – it also plans on eliminating queues altogether and will even have robot staff.

When Al Maktoum International Airport has been fully expanded and refurbished, it will be the biggest in the world – and it will have all the modcons too.

The airport which will cost £23.5billion and will serve 260million passengers every year is being designed to make travel as smooth as possible.

One of the ways it’s doing this is by creating a way that passengers won’t have to queue, which almost seems like a given in other airports.

At Al Maktoum International Airport, bags could be dropped off before travellers even reach the terminal.

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Passengers will then be able to move through the airport without the usual repeated stops for the likes of security and customs.

Dubai Airports CEO Paul Griffiths called this a “no red lights” concept while talking to Khaleej Times.

The airport is set to be huge, but travellers won’t have to worry about walking from one side to the other.

Instead, they will be able to use the ‘integrated underground Automated People Mover system’, which includes a multi-track train.

It will have 14 stations and will transport passengers from terminals to concourses.

It’s designed to help travellers get to their flights in the shortest and quickest route possible.

When it comes to collecting baggage, the new system will be able to process tens of thousands of bags in just one hour.

And better yet, bags are expected to be available within minutes – so there won’t be any standing about waiting for suitcases after a flight.

The airport is also going to be technologically advanced with automated travel systems, AI security check and robot staff.

The robots will be used for various tasks, including baggage handling and potentially customer service roles too.

The terminal isn’t completely new, as Al Maktoum International Airport is an expansion of Dubai World Central.

The nearby Dubai International Airport which is currently the main base in Dubai will close once the new runways are operational which is scheduled for 2032.

Al Maktoum International Airport is 23 miles south of Dubai and once fully up and running will be the largest in the world.

Currently, that title belongs to King Salman International Airport which is currently being constructed in Saudi Arabia.

In comparison Al Maktoum International Airport will be a whopping 70 square kilometres rather than 56.

It will have two passenger terminals, seven concourses and more than 430 aircraft stands.

EASYJET is launching a new international flight route from a UK airport for the first time.

The new route will begin operating flights in 2027.

EasyJet will launch its first international route out of Newquay Airport in Cornwall next year.

Flying between Newquay Airport and Geneva Airport in Switzerland, the route is expected to launch on January 16, 2027.

The seasonal route will then operate once a week on Saturdays until February 27, 2027.

Currently, EasyJet only provides regional and domestic flights from the coastal airport, so the new flight path will be the first international destination for the airline.

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A further 12 routes are also being launched by EasyJet over the next year, including new routes from London Luton to Kittilä in Finland, beginning on November 24, and from Strasbourg in France launching on November 29.

The airline will be operating flights to Kittilä twice a week, on Tuesdays and Saturdays, and fly to Strasbourg four times a week on Mondays, Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays.

New flights from London Southend to Edinburgh, Scotland, will launch on October 25 from £23.99 per person.

The flights will operate twice a week on Thursdays and Sundays between the two cities.

From Birmingham, travellers will be able to fly to Copenhagen, Denmark, from November 16.

Costing from £31.99 per person, the flights will head out twice a week on Mondays and Fridays.

Those living near Manchester can head to Cairo, Egypt from November 9 – the only direct route from the city to the ‘Sphinx’ airport.

Flights will set you back from £131.99 per person and the route operates twice weekly on Mondays and Fridays.

Two new routes are launching from Liverpool Airport to Kittilä in Finland and Reykjavik in Iceland.

Costing from £30.99 per person, flights to Kittilä will begin on November 25 and operate out of the airport twice a week on Wednesdays and Saturdays.

Flights to Reykjavik will launch even earlier, starting on November 2 and will take off twice a week on Mondays and Fridays, costing from £43.99 per person.

Newcastle is set to get several new destinations by the end of the year, including Barcelona in Spain, Berlin in Germany, Copenhagen in Denmark, Hurghada in Egypt and Rovaniemi in Finland.

First to launch will be the flights to Barcelona on October 25, costing from £28.99 per person and operating twice weekly on Fridays and Sundays.

On October 27, flights to Hurghada will launch heading out on Tuesdays and Saturdays and costing from £121.99 per person.

Copenhagen flights are set to begin on November 5, followed by Berlin on November 20 and finally Rovaniemi on November 25.

A MAJOR airport is closed after a thunderstorm caused damage to air traffic control systems.

All flights are grounded from Bristol Airport, according to traffic monitoring site Inrix.

Passengers are being urged to contact their airline and to check before they travel.

The airport’s website says: “Following the earlier electrical storm, Bristol Airport remains closed to arriving and departing aircraft whilst engineers investigate a fault with Air Traffic Control systems.

“Customers should contact their airline with any specific flight queries.”

It comes as Britain bakes under a red heat warning this week, with temperatures set to soar to 37C.

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The extreme weather is also causing further travel chaos this morning – after thunderstorms and torrential downpours overnight.

Operators are imposing emergency speed restrictions and warning passengers to expect longer journey times.

London’s transport network has been hit hard, with the Circle line suspended and severe delays on the Hammersmith & City line, as well as parts of the District line shut and the Elizabeth line experiencing significant delays.

Services between Heathrow Terminal 4 and Heathrow Terminals 2 & 3 are also suspended.

The storms battered the South West of England last night, with hundreds of homes in Shepton Mallet, Glastonbury and Bristol being struck with temporary blackouts.

Meanwhile, passengers in the South East saw delays due to signalling issues.

Southeastern warned: “With ongoing thunderstorms and heavy rain in a number of areas, speed restrictions have been imposed in many places across the network as a precaution.

“Trains are continuing to run on all routes but your journey may take longer than expected.”

It comes after an inferno raged through a suburban home after the roof was reportedly struck by lightning in the Emersons Green area of Bristol.

The Met Office‘s amber extreme heat warning is in force through to Thursday night.

But a second, more extreme red warning comes into force across Wednesday and Thursday for parts of southern England, as well as the Midlands and southern Wales.

From Friday conditions are expected to start turning slightly less intense.

Highs of 33C are still forecast in areas of Eastern England, but the worst of the heat should be beginning to pass.

By the weekend, temperatures are forecast to drop to the mid-20s.

Earlier on Monday evening, he Met Office announced a thunderstorm warning for several regions across the UK on Monday night, spanning from 5pm to 9pm.

While the weather alert has since expired, communities across south West England are still reeling in the wake of wild storms and flash flooding.

Who did the warning cover? The weather alert applied to parts of East of England, London and South East England, South West England.

What was the full alert? A Yellow weather warning is in effect, continuing until Monday 9pm. The forecast indicates frequent lightning strikes and heavy rain in the impacted regions.

A Met Office forecaster said, in a statement issued alongside the urgent weather alert earlier this evening (June 22): “An area of thunderstorms moving east across the area will bring a spell of frequent lightning, gusty winds, torrential rain, and a few places, hail.

The storms will be moving quickly reducing the potential for widespread large amounts of rain, but there is a few places could see 20-25 mm of rainfall in a short period in the most active storms, which could bring some brief flooding.

“The majority of impacts are likely to come from other hazards however, such as lightning striking buildings and causing power cuts, difficult driving conditions in heavy rain, and some localised damage to vulnerable structures by strong wind gusts or hail.”

People heading to Europe for the summer are being warned to account for additional waits

As the summer holidays near, many people will be excitedly looking forward to their big summer getaway in Europe. However, anyone heading for Spain, France, Greece and other Schengen areas have been issued a major warning from Heathrow Airport.

Taking to X, the airport’s official account warned travellers to “be aware” of the additional wait times they might face at European airports this summer due to the rollout of the Entry/Exit System, or EES. The system’s implementation has already caused a bit of travel chaos this year with some passengers missing their flights because they were stuck in line.

The EES is meant to replace the old manual system of stamping passports when non-EU citizens enter or leave Schengen countries. The new systems logs this travel digitally using biometric details like your fingerprints.

In the long run, EES is meant to make passport control at airports smoother but currently, it is causing massive queues and wait times to travellers’ journeys. This is because it needs to register travellers with their biometric details.

The process is free and travellers don’t need to do anything different before getting to the airport. However, travellers may need to account for the delay in getting to their boarding gate or they could risk missing their flight if the queue is too long.

Official guidance on the Gov.uk website explains: “On your first visit to the Schengen area, you may be asked to create a digital record at the port or airport on arrival. You may be asked to submit your fingerprints and have your photo taken at dedicated booths.

“You don’t need to provide any information before travelling to a Schengen area country. The checks may take slightly longer than previously, so be prepared to wait during busy times.”

Countries in the Schengen area include:

• Austria
• Belgium
• Bulgaria
• Croatia
• Czechia
• Denmark
• Estonia
• Finland
• France
• Germany
• Greece
• Hungary
• Iceland
• Italy
• Latvia
• Liechtenstein
• Lithuania
• Luxembourg
• Malta
• Netherlands
• Norway
• Poland
• Portugal
• Romania
• Slovakia
• Slovenia
• Spain
• Sweden
• Switzerland

You might also be asked to provide either your fingerprint or photo when you exit a Schengen area. Your digital EES record is valid for 3 years.

Some people are exempt from EES and won’t need to register. Instead they need to present their exempting documents to a border guard when they arrive at the border.

People exempt from EES include:

• Nationals of the European countries using the EES, as well as Cyprus and Ireland
• Non-EU nationals who hold a residence card and are immediately related to an EU national
• Non-EU nationals who hold a residence card or a residence permit and are immediately related to a non-EU national who can travel throughout Europe like an EU citizen
• Non-EU nationals travelling to Europe as part of an intra-corporate transfer or for the purposes of research, studies, training, voluntary service, pupil exchange schemes or educational projects and au-pairing
• Holders of residence permits and long-stay visas
• Nationals of Andorra, Monaco and San Marino and holders of a passport issued by the Vatican City State or the Holy See
• People holding a valid local border traffic permit
• Crew members of passenger and goods trains on international connecting journeys.
• People holding a valid Facilitated Rail Transit Document or valid Facilitated Transit Document, provided they travel by train and do not disembark anywhere within the territory of an EU Member State

EASYJET is launching 13 new routes from the UK including to lesser-known destinations.

The routes include the airline’s first international destination from a tiny UK airport.

EasyJet will launch a route between Newquay Airport in Cornwall and Geneva in Switzerland – which will be its first international route from the airport.

The route will launch on January 16, 2027 and operate once a week on Saturdays until February 27, 2027.

Among the 12 other routes being launched are new routes from London Luton to Kittila in Finland launching on November 24 and Strasbourg in France launching on November 29.

Flights to Kittila will operate twice a week, on Tuesdays and Saturdays whereas flights to Strasbourg will operate four times a week on Mondays, Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays.

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London Southend will get new flights to Edinburgh, Scotland operating twice a week from October 25 on Thursdays and Sundays from £23.99 per person.

From Birmingham you will be able to fly to Copenhagen in Denmark, twice a week on Mondays and Fridays, launching on November 16 and costing from £31.99 per person.

Or if you live near Manchester, you can head to Cairo in Egypt from November 9 – the only direct route from Manchester to the ‘Sphinx’ airport.

The route will operate twice a week on Mondays and Fridays, with flights costing from £131.99 per person.

Liverpool will get two new routes including to Kittilä in Finland and Reykjavik in Iceland.

Flights to Kittila will start on November 25, departing twice a week on Wednesdays and Saturdays with tickets costing from £30.99 per person.

On the other hand, flights will head to Reykjavik from November 2, taking off on Mondays and Fridays, with flights costing from £43.99 per person.

And Newcastle will get several new destinations including Barcelona in Spain, Berlin in Germany, Copenhagen in Denmark, Hurghada in Egypt and Rovaniemi in Finland.

Flights to Barcelona will be the first to launch on October 25, operating twice a week on Fridays and Sundays and costing from £28.99 per person.

Hurghada flights will then start on October 27 twice a week on Tuesdays and Saturdays, costing from £121.99 per person.

Copenhagen flights will launch on November 5, followed by Berlin on November 20 and then Rovaniemi on November 25.

A SMALL airport in South Yorkshire once allowed passengers to travel to Europe – but lasted just over a decade.

Sheffield City Airport first opened in 1997, taking Brits to the likes of Belgium and the Netherlands.

First proposed in 1968, it finally opened in the 1990s as a gateway to Europe for those in South Yorkshire.

Passenger flights began in February 1998 with airlines KLM, Sabena, British Airways and Aer Arann.

Services took Brits to destinations like Belfast, Amsterdam, Brussels, Dublin, Jersey and London.

At its peak in 1999, the airport saw 75,000 passengers, but by 2002, this number had dropped to 13,000.

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The runway at Sheffield City Airport was short meaning it couldn’t accommodate larger aircraft for long-haul flights.

At 1,211 metres in length, it’s smaller than even the runway at London City which is 1,508 metres.

At the time, it was also unable to take the planes that were used by the early low-cost airlines too which further limited the routes it could offer.

Sheffield City Airport officially closed in April 2008 after being deemed ‘not financially viable’.

The site has since been redeveloped with the terminal building and control tower being converted into offices.

The area that once was used to store planes is now a car park.

Recently, Sheffield City was even named one of the ‘world’s most fascinating abandoned airports’ by The Telegraph.

Another abandoned UK airport which came in joint place with Sheffield City is Doncaster-Sheffield which is actually set to reopen.

It closed down in 2022, but is currently undergoing huge upgrades and renovations to it can reopen as soon as next year.

Sun Travel previously spoke to the Director of FlyDoncaster who revealed that passenger planes could restart as soon as 2028.

Here are ’10 of the world’s most fascinating abandoned airports’…

1. Longhua Airport, Shanghai, China

2. Ellinikon Airport, Athens, Greece

3. Tegel, Schönefeld and Brand-Briesen airports, Berlin, Germany

4. Sheffield City and Doncaster-Sheffield airports, UK

5. Nicosia International Airport, Cyprus

6. Tempelhof Airport, Berlin, Germany

7. Kai Tak Airport, Kowloon, Hong Kong

8. Ciudad Real Airport, Spain

9. Stapleton International Airport, Denver, USA

10. Mirabel Airport, Montreal, Canada