Hundreds of Heathrow and Gatwick flights delayed due to thunderstorms

Flights at London’s Heathrow and Gatwick airports have been delayed for up to six hours as the heatwave turns to thunderstorms.

More than 600 flights have been delayed in and out of the two travel hubs so far on Saturday and dozens cancelled, many due to the stormy weather. The UK’s air traffic control service said delays were expected to continue for the rest of the day.

Some passengers have taken to social media to express their frustration, with one saying her daughter had been stuck on an Easyjet plane at Gatwick for four hours before it was cancelled.

Gatwick told BBC News that temporary air traffic control restrictions had been put in place, while Easyjet apologised for the disruption.

A total of 340 flights arriving at or departing from Heathrow have been delayed so far on Saturday, according to tracker FlightAware, and 320 in and out of Gatwick.

Europe-wide aviation agency Eurocontrol says Heathrow and Gatwick are the only two UK airports currently facing “heavy” delays related to the thunderstorm.

Delays to affected flights vary, but Gatwick’s live departure board shows an Easyjet flight to Antalya delayed from 11:50 BST to 18:00.

Other flights have been delayed by four hours, with airlines including British Airways at Heathrow affected.

Eurocontrol shows the most severe air traffic control delays in airspace between south-east England and north-western Europe, where the storm clouds currently are.

However, flights travelling on flight paths outside of the storm area are still leaving and arriving on time.