Disruption at Glasgow Airport after ‘flash freeze’
● Operations suspended as rain causes ice to form on runway
A “flash freeze” caused disruption to flights at a Scottish airport yesterday as sub-zero temperatures and heavy rain caused ice to form rapidly on the runways.
As a result of the bad weather at Glasgow Airport, seven flights were forced to land at Edinburgh and Prestwick airports and a further four flights to and from London City Airport were cancelled.
Operations were suspended at Glasgow for 45 minutes as de-icing crews battled to clear approaches to the airport and airside roads and runway.
Flash-freezing had caused similar problems at the terminal in November, when a tug vehicle collided with a jet after skidding on black ice. Six flights were diverted as a result.
A spokesman for Glasgow Airport said: “The airport is now back in operation but the issue will have a knockon effect throughout the evening.”
At least 16 departing flights from Heathrow were cancelled yesterday, though the UK’S busiest airport said its runways were open and fully operational.
British Airways said it planned to operate a “near normal schedule” but passengers due to fly to or from Heathrow were given the option of a full refund or re-booking for travel until 18 December.
Advice for travellers is to contact their airline before leaving for the airport.
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Meanwhile, the Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning for ice running until 11am this morning, covering large parts of the UK, including parts of Scotland, the Midlands, Northern Ireland, Wales and the eastern coast of England
Met Office spokesman Oli Craydon said: “It will be a chilly night but probably not quite as cold as Monday night. The front moving from the west hails some more milder temperatures.
“So in the South West, places like Bodmin, there could be 6C or 7C, so not freezing, but as we move further east, London could go down to 2C.
“And as we go into areas where snow remains, like Birmingham – it is struggling to get above freezing and could be minus 2C overnight.
“There’s still a little bit of snow around so that could melt away or freeze again and there is rainfall coming in from the west, so where that falls on very cold roads that can form ice very quickly, providing treacherous driving conditions.
“It’s a bit of a grey morning and it will be falling as rain rather than snow, with the exception being in high areas of Scotland. We might see wintry showers at lower levels but nothing that’s going to settle.”