Thunderstorms disrupt Gatwick and Heathrow as hundreds of flights delayed or cancelled

Thunderstorms disrupt Gatwick and Heathrow as hundreds of flights delayed or cancelled

Severe thunderstorms following a record-breaking heatwave have caused widespread aviation chaos at London's Heathrow and Gatwick airports on Saturday, 27 June 2026. Hundreds of flights have been delayed or cancelled, leaving some passengers stranded on grounded aircraft in scorching temperatures for hours.

The UK's air traffic control service, Nats, stated that disruption was expected to continue through the rest of the day due to forecasted severe weather across south-east England.

Flight Disruptions and Airport Impact

Total delays at the two hubs have been reported as exceeding 800 flights, with some delays lasting up to 11 hours. According to mapping from the Europe-wide aviation agency Eurocontrol, the most severe air traffic control delays are located in the airspace between north-western Europe and south-east England. Eurocontrol identified Heathrow and Gatwick as the only two UK airports currently facing heavy delays related to the storms.

Flight tracking data from FlightAware provides varying counts of the impact on Saturday:

• One report cites 367 delayed flights at Heathrow and 352 at Gatwick.
• Another report notes more than 400 delays at Heathrow and another 400 at Gatwick.
• A third report lists 377 delayed flights at Heathrow and 399 at Gatwick.
• A separate estimate mentions around 340 delays at Heathrow and 320 at Gatwick.

Specific delays have been significant. A British Airways flight from Santiago, Chile, originally due at Heathrow at 10:00 BST, is not expected to land until 21:00. At Gatwick, a flight to Antalya in Turkey scheduled to land at 11:50am was delayed until 6pm.

The disruption extended to smaller regional airports. Edinburgh saw 15 departures and four arrivals delayed, while Leeds Bradford reported three delayed departures. London City airport also experienced cancellations and delays, though a spokesperson said flights were gradually returning to normal.

Passenger Experiences

Travellers reported distressing conditions during the delays. One passenger shared on social media that her daughter was held on an EasyJet plane at Gatwick for four hours before the flight was cancelled. Another traveller reported being stuck on a British Airways plane at Heathrow from 7am until noon.

Adam Joseph, 29, told BBC News he was stranded at Venice airport in Italy without air conditioning after his Gatwick-bound flight was delayed by at least four hours. Joseph, who was due to depart at 12:30 local time, said he had to give up his chair to a pregnant mother.

"People are very angry … we have had no communication from [British Airways] whatsoever."

Adam Joseph, passenger, via BBC News

Joseph further claimed he was informed that passengers would not be entitled to compensation even for delays exceeding four hours because the issues were caused by air traffic control restrictions.

Airline and Airport Responses

British Airways apologised for the inconvenience, stating they had to make adjustments to their schedule due to air traffic control restrictions caused by adverse weather affecting UK airspace.

EasyJet confirmed it had to pre-emptively cancel some flights to and from Gatwick in advance due to the storms. The airline said it is notifying passengers of options for refunds, rebookings, and providing meals and hotel accommodation where required.

Gatwick airport confirmed that temporary air traffic restrictions were implemented following overnight thunderstorms across the network. Heathrow has advised all passengers to check their flight status with airlines before travelling to the airport.

Weather Context and Outlook

The storms followed a period of extreme heat, including a record-breaking June high of 37.3C recorded in Suffolk on Friday. The weather shifted overnight, bringing lightning and rain. In South London, a lightning strike destroyed the roof of a property in Streatham, and another strike caused damage to a home in Crawley.

Eurocontrol described a broad area of hot, unstable air stretching from southern Sweden to northern Spain, which forces aircraft to avoid turbulent conditions. This area is likely to see further storm development overnight, though officials noted a large degree of uncertainty regarding where these will develop.

An amber warning for extreme heat remains in place for parts of eastern and south-east England until Sunday morning. The Met Office warned that thunderstorms in the southeast could remain vigorous on Saturday with hail and frequent lightning. Looking ahead to next week, the Met Office expects a mixed picture of sunny spells, cloud, and rain arriving from the west.