Flights were canceled or diverted after the Met Office said temperatures below 0C could cause travel disruptions
Manchester Airport was forced to close both runways early Saturday due to heavy snowfall and severe weather warnings issued for large parts of England over the weekend.
Passengers were notified that the runway was temporarily closed and contacted their airline for the latest information. However, airport administrators reopened one runway at 11:30 a.m., allowing some services to resume while work continues to reopen others.
The airport said eight outgoing flights had been cancelled so far, while 13 planes scheduled to land at the airport had been diverted, along with three arrivals.
A spokesperson previously said: “Health and safety will always be our top priority and operations will resume as quickly as possible.”
The Met Office said temperatures as low as -10C (14F) were expected in remote areas Saturday and Sunday, which could disrupt travel, especially Monday morning.
Snow is expected in Scotland and south-east England, with most of Scotland on a yellow alert until midday Sunday.
Important information Regarding to runways open
The airport confirmed earlier this morning that both runways were scheduled to close on Saturday morning. In a statement, a spokesperson said: “Due to heavy snowfall, we are temporarily closing both runways. Health and safety will always be our top priority and operations will resume as soon as possible.”
At around 11.30am a spokesperson confirmed to the Manchester Evening News that the runway had reopened. It is not yet known when the second runway will open.
In a tweet, the airport said: “Operations resumed at 11:30am from one of our runways. We apologize for the inconvenience caused. Passengers are advised to contact their airline for the latest flight information.”
Important Announcement Regarding to flights are affected
Easyjet has confirmed that 16 flights have had to be canceled at Manchester Airport today.
An airport spokesperson confirmed shortly after 11​​am that Manchester Airport had so far canceled eight departing flights. Another 17 incoming aircraft had to be diverted, and four incoming flights were also cancelled, the airport said.
This figure is expected to continue to grow and passengers are advised to check the latest arrival and departure information with the relevant airlines.
Easyjet and AerLingus are some of the airlines that canceled flights from Manchester Airport today. At least four Ryanair flights and six Easyjet flights that were scheduled to land at the airport have been cancelled, according to the latest flight information on the airport’s website. In addition, some of the flights that landed today had to arrive at the airport later than planned.
Now What is the advice for people flying today?
Manchester Airport recommends all passengers to check the latest flight information directly with the airline. For the latest information on Manchester Airport departures and arrivals, visit their website here.
Easyjet issued a statement advising passengers that they would be offered a free transfer if their flight was cancelled. A spokesperson said: “Like other airlines, easyJet experienced some disruption to its flight schedule to and from Manchester following the closure of the runway due to snow today. Although the airport has now reopened, this has resulted in departure delays for several flights and unfortunately we had to canceled 16 flights as a result of the closure.”
The statement added: “We are doing everything we can to minimize disruption for our customers, including providing hotel rooms and meals for passengers impacted by the cancellations.” Rebook their flights for free or get a refund.
In a message to everyone flying today, the airline said: “We would advise all passengers flying with us to or from Manchester today to check their flight status on Flight Tracker for real-time information. Passenger and crew safety we are easyJet’s top priority. Although this situation is beyond our control, we would like to apologize for the inconvenience caused by the weather.”
Ryanair issued a statement to passengers on Twitter. It said: “Due to snowy weather conditions across the UK, our flights departing from Liverpool and Manchester airports experienced slight delays today (10 December). While our team is working hard to minimize disruption to customers, Ryanair advises all arriving customers today ( 10.
He added: “We sincerely apologize for this weather-related delay, which was completely beyond our control.”
Is there more snow forecast?
According to the Met Office forecast, there is an 80 per cent chance of more heavy snow at Manchester Airport between 2pm and 5pm today. From 5pm until the evening, it is forecast to be dry but foggy. Temperatures are likely to be around 1C or 2C for most of the day, dropping to 0C by the late evening.
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