runway

ALL planes leaving Gatwick Airport have been grounded causing chaos for passengers.

A Boeing 787 aircraft was reportedly stuck on the runway and the technical issue is currently being investigated, it is understood.

Staff worked to resume flights as quickly as possible after the runway closed at 1.40pm today.

A London Gatwick spokesperson said: “Due to a technical issue with a departing aircraft, our runway is currently closed.

“Our teams are working to move the aircraft and resume operations as quickly as possible. As always, safety and security is our number one priority.”

Airport officials have informed customers to still travel to the airport on time for their flights.

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The Sun understands the plane was a flight to New York which was due to take off just after 1pm.

It appeared to be on the runway surrounded by several fire engines but has now been cleared.

One passenger returning from the Isle of Man said on X: “I’m stuck on a plane returning from the IOM to Gatwick after jawbone surgery yesterday.. exhausted.

“The plane has diverted to Luton…I’d rather get out and catch a train back to London!”

The grounded plane caused chaos with many EasyJet flights being reportedly sent to other airports.

Another added: “Gatwick Airport any idea what is happening? I am stuck on your runway with no information.”

It comes after a water outage at the airport last month where passengers were left without running water.

The airport was left unable to flush toilets, wash their hands and refill bottles for several hours.

The outage was caused by a burst water main, which has affected the supply to the airport.

One source told The Sun at the time: “There were no announcements, they just started turning away everyone at the restaurants.

“Water fountains weren’t operational either. People are treating the toilets like portaloos at a festival, its going to be a biohazard soon.”

The water in the area is covered by SES Water, which covers parts of Surrey, Kent and London.

The airport chaos came just weeks after a similar water outage left the airport with no running water, toilets or bars.

Passengers called it “disgraceful” with images showing vending machines with no water left and dirty toilets.

A MAJOR airport renovation has forced thousands of flights to be cancelled or diverted until the end of the year.

Runway 4 at Paris-Orly Airport in France, will be closed from now until December 17 for extensive repair works.

During this period, the runway will be closed forcing around 3,000 flights to be cancelled or diverted to Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport.

This works out to around 750 flights a month affected.

Any passengers due to travel to the airport between now and late autumn will need to check with their airline if their flight is still running.

And, where applicable, travellers will either be offered to rebook to Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport or to receive a refund.

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Budget airline easyJet has confirmed that it was asked to cancel flights from August 10 to October 24, with passengers offered alternative flights.

UK flights to and from the airport, usually operated by easyJet and Air France, include Newcastle, London Gatwick, London Heathrow, London Luton, Birmingham and Edinburgh.

In an official statement on the airport’s website, it says: “During the work on the runway at Paris-Orly, some flights will be transferred to Paris-Charles de Gaulle from 10 August to 17 December 2026.

“Before you travel, check the flight information provided by Paris Aéroport and view real-time updates on your departure or arrival terminal.”

The main airlines impacted include Air Algérie, KM Malta Airlines, RAM, Pegasus, Iberia and Tunisair.

Works at the airport include renovating the pavements, upgrading lighting and improving the aircraft stands.

Paris- Orly and Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport are at opposite sides of Paris, taking around 45 minutes in the car or just over an hour on the train to get between the two.

A MAJOR European airport is set for a huge, multi-billion expansion.

Rome Fiumicino Airport in Italy is a major European hub with around 51million passengers travelling through the airport each year.

And now the airport has revealed plans for a €9billion (£8.48billion) project to make the airport bigger.

Plans include adding a fourth runway to the airport, as well as opening a new terminal.

The new 3,400-metre-long runway will partially replace runway one, which will be shortened by 900 metres with this area being turned into a park that is open to the public.

Other upgrades will be carried out on the taxiways, aprons and connecting roads.

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Then, the new 350,000sqm terminal will be spread across several levels, with two new boarding areas, 76 gates and an exhibition area showcasing local culture.

The new terminal will also have a number of shops, green areas and public spaces.

The money will be split between €5billion (£4.28billion) being spent on expansion and the other €4billion (£3.4billion) being spent on upgrading existing facilities.

The aim is that the airport will be able to handle up to 100million passengers a year by 2046.

The project is set to be complete by 2033, which will mark the 2,000th anniversary of Christ’s death and resurrection.

According to The Financial Times, the airport’s chief executive Marco Troncone said: “If this happens, the new runway may be ready in 2033, in time, ideally, for the next iconic event . . . to mark 2,000 years after the death of Jesus Christ.”

There are several airlines that fly between the UK and the Italian capital.

For example, you could fly with Ryanair or easyJet that both offer flights from a number of regional airports.

British Airways and Wizz Air also operate flights to the city.

GATWICK Airport is set to get a second runway by the end of the decade.

Plans for the new runway have received a huge boost today, after campaigner against the plans lost their bid to challenge it.

The airport expansion was approved back in September and is set to cost £2.2billion.

It will involve moving the airport’s emergency runway 12 metres north and as a result, the airport will be able to host an extra 100,000 flights a year.

The new runway is set to have planes taking off by the end of the decade.

In a ruling on Tuesday, Lord Justice Holgate and Lord Justice Dove dismissed campaigners’ bids against the new runway.

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They said: “We conclude that each of the grounds of appeal raised by each appellant is unarguable.

“Neither appeal has a real prospect of success. We also consider that there are no other compelling reasons for either appeal to be heard.”

Gatwick Airport is the second busiest airport in the UK and has one of the busiest runways in the world.

The runway will be used mainly for more narrow-bodied planes, such as Airbus A320s and Boeing 737s.

Campaigners argued that the Government has not properly assessed the climate impact of an additional runway.

They also commented that there is no need for an expansion at Gatwick Airport, considering Heathrow is not too far away.

A SPANISH airport will close for nearly a week as part of a major renovation.

Almeria Airport in Spain is set to shut down for six days to upgrade its runway.

The closure is set to take place in February 2028, with all scheduled flights cancelled.

This is part of a longer 19-month €29million (£24.8million) project to upgrade the entire airport.

However, during this period there will be work at night between 10:45pm and 7:10am the following day.

Between these hours, flights will be impacted as well.

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Aena – Spain‘s airports operator – has already notified airlines that operate at the airport, including Ryanair, easyJet and Iberia.

The airlines will now have to reschedule flights or divert the routes to other airports.

Flights from Almeria Airport to the UK, including to Birmingham, London Southend, Liverpool, Manchester, Bristol and Leeds Bradford.

The revamp will mark the first work on the runway in 20 years.

Other parts of the project included improving the taxiways, as well as upgrading over 600 lights and replacing 34 directional signs.

The airport is around a 15-minute drive from Almeria city centre in the Andalusia region of Spain.

Each year, the airport handles up to 800,000 passengers.

Of which, Brits make up between 55 and 70 per cent of travellers.

Heathrow Airport will be allowed to charge airlines more for its services to recover money spent on the early stages of its third runway project.

The aviation regulator is permitting the airport to claw back up to £320m through higher airport charges to airlines for each passenger, which is likely to end up being added to ticket prices.

A bidder which unsuccessfully put forward a rival design involving a shorter runway, Arora Group’s Heathrow West, will also be allowed to recover £4.1m pounds in costs.

The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and Heathrow said safeguards would be put in place to protect consumers from unjustified costs.

At this stage, the costs being recovered are only for the early planning and design of the runway during 2025 and 2026.

Tim Johnson, the CAA’s director of consumers and markets, told the BBC: “We’ve announced that the first tranche of costs, which is to help with the planning of this, can be recovered from passengers. That’s up to a maximum of £320m.”

Heathrow airport will also be able to collect Heathrow West’s costs up to November last year by adding to its airport charges.

The CAA said allowing these costs to be recouped will result in the maximum airport charge per passenger increasing by around 15 pence in 2028, rising to an estimated 30 pence in the following years.

In November, the government announced it preferred the £33bn scheme put forward by the airport over Arora’s alternative plan.

At the time, the Department for Transport said Heathrow’s own proposal offered the most deliverable option, and the “greatest likelihood” of getting a decision on planning approval within this parliament.

The CAA’s director of consumers and markets, Tim Johnson, said today’s decision “strikes a balance between supporting the delivery of benefits to consumers through timely progress on Heathrow expansion, whilst also protecting them from undue increases in costs”.

The regulator said “safeguards” designed to monitor cost efficiency would include transparency and cost reporting requirements, and assurance by independent experts.

Airlines often complain that Heathrow is the world’s most most expensive hub airport, and have repeatedly voiced concern that the airport’s expansion plans will make it pricier.

The government hopes for a planning decision by 2029.

Plans for a third runway stretch back decades, with the government backing the plans in 2003.

However, the idea has also long faced opposition from climate campaigners, many local residents, and several politicians.

They worry an additional runway will increase air pollution, noise pollution, and breach the government’s legally binding climate commitments.

EVER looked at an airport runway and thought how cool it would be to walk it?

Well, now you can as later this summer an abandoned airport in the UK will be hosting a huge music festival, that you can even camp at.

Love on the Runway music festival will take place across two days between August 29 and 31 at Manston Airport in Ramsgate, Kent.

There will be house, techno and DnB music across two stages for guests to enjoy.

The festival will also have food and drink stalls, for when you need a bite to eat or drink between dancing.

To add some fun, there will also be a fairground ideal for families.

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Other features of the festival include chill out zones and a number of VIP areas.

Little other details have been revealed about the festival yet.

Visitors can book camping passes for £103, which allow for a pitch with up to 10 people (so £10.30 per person) or a camper van.

And with each camping pass, one weekend festival pass is included (so other guests camping at the pitch will need to purchase their own festival ticket).

A regular weekend pass costs from £37 per person or you can get four for £112.50.

If you fancy heading to the festival for just one day, you can do so for £22 and kids go free.

And the festival will have a cheap shuttle bus from Thanet Parkway Station if travelling to the festival via train.

Manston Airport closed back in 2014 and was used as a former RAF base and a regional hub, flying Brits abroad from the 1960s.

Airlines that used the airport included Monarch Airlines, KLM and Flybe.

However, there are current talks to see if the airport could reopen, with the return of flights scheduled for 2029 – however this will be for cargo aircraft only.

Initially, the airport planned to reopen in 2025, but this has been pushed back.