All the Heathrow and Gatwick flights cancelled as Storm Boelo continues to hit travel
Flights from Gatwick and Heathrow were thrown into fresh chaos as Storm Boelo battered the UK, grounding more than 100 flights nationwide and forcing the sudden cancellation of some of the capital's landmark weekend events. Heathrow has borne the brunt of the disruption in London, with short-haul networks heavily impacted. Gatwick officials urged passengers not to travel without checking their flight status first, warning high winds are creating hazardous conditions.
The severe weather follow hots on the heels of Storm Austen, which struck on Friday. Flights across the South East have faced restricted air traffic control spacing, causing a cascade of cancellations and leaving thousands of passengers stranded. Beyond the runways, the stormy conditions forced the last-minute cancellation of London's annual Diwali and the Square celebrations. Independent health and safety experts advised the Greater London Authority that heavy gales and persistent downpours on Saturday made it entirely unsafe to build and set up the staging in Trafalgar Square for Sunday's festival.
The following flights scheduled for Sunday were confirmed as cancelled: British Airways BA1438 Heathrow to Edinburgh British Airways BA304 Heathrow to Paris CDG British Airways BA562 Heathrow to Rome British Airway BA1320 Heathrow to Aberdeen LoganAir LM676 Heathrow to Isle of Man Riyadh Air RX9402 Heathrow to Gassim Emirates EK064 Heathrow to Dubai Easyjet EJU8015 Gatwick to Amsterdam Easyjet EZU6427 Gatwick to Jersey Lufthansa LH901 Gatwick to Frankfurt AirFrance AF1681 Gatwick to Paril CDG Aer Lingus I157 Gatwick to Dublin Vueling VY7821 Gatwick to Barcelona The following flights scheduled for Monday have also been cancelled: • 11.45am British Airways BA1468 Heathrow to Glasgow • 12.15pm British Airways BA1308 Heathrow to Aberdeen • 5.10pm British Airways BA1376 Heathrow to Manchester Airlines have adjusted schedules to prevent a complete gridlock of the network.
While the worst of the 85mph gusts are tracking across Scotland and northern England, the outer bands of the weather system restricted flight volumes into London. There was also widespread disruption on the railways. Network Rail Scotland shared an image of flooding from the tracks to the platform in one Glasgow station, and fallen trees above the lines near another. Speed restrictions were in place across Scotland and several sections of its railways were closed, the operator added.
It came after Network Rail posted photographs of a trampoline beneath a train and a shed by the tracks, in a call for those living near rail lines to firmly secure their garden furniture. Collapsed trees, cables on carriageways, strong winds and damaged surfaces prompted closures to major roads in Scotland. The amber Met Office warning zone includes Scotland, parts of Northern Ireland and the far north of England. It sits within a yellow wind warning zone that reaches further south and runs until 9pm, while another in Northern Ireland lifted at midday.
Storm Boelo follows Storm Austen, the first named storm of the season, which brought strong winds to southern parts of the UK on Friday. Gusts of 76mph were recorded at St Mary’s Airport in the Isles of Scilly, with 74mph at Aberporth in south Wales and 71mph at Culdrose in Cornwall. Storm Boelo was bringing a danger to life from flying debris and crashing waves and people should stay indoors as much as possible, the Met Office warned.
Left out here: Drops what it reported before
The article never says that a 60-year-old man was killed by a falling tree in Dumfries and Galloway during Storm Boelo, which the Standard itself reported the day before. Nor does it give the power cuts to hundreds of thousands of properties. Without these facts a reader believes the storm caused travel disruption and cancelled events but no deaths.
How we know
- Evening Standard wrote earlier“A 60-year-old man has been killed by a falling tree in Dumfries and Galloway during Storm Boelo.”Man dies after being hit by falling tree during Storm Boelo (opens in a new tab)
- Evening Standard wrote earlier“Power cuts hit 838,700 UK properties during storms Boelo and Austen”Man killed by falling tree in Storm Boelo (opens in a new tab)
The Environment Agency had issued five warnings that flooding is expected for spots in northern parts of England as of 11am, as well as 33 alerts where it is possible. The Scottish Environment Protection Agency said 34 flood warnings and 11 flooding alerts were active as of the same time.
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