Airport planes battle Storm Gerrit winds to land as Heathrow hit by travel chaos

27 December 2023 , 22:58

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Airport planes battle Storm Gerrit winds to land as Heathrow hit by travel chaos

Terrifying footage has shown planes struggling to land at Bristol Airport as ferocious winds lashed the nation during an onslaught from Storm Gerrit.

The powerful winds meant one plane had to make three attempts before it could land while others appeared to wobble from side to side as they carefully navigated the runway, according to reports. The frightening footage, shared by Sky News, shows three planes as they battle the strong gusts to make a safe landing.

Elsewhere, Heathrow airport also cancelled some flights as the stormy weather battered the UK throughout Wednesday. 18 flights were cancelled reportedly due to air traffic control restrictions. These were said to be return trips to Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Jersey and Manchester, and to Barcelona, Berlin, Madrid and Paris Charles de Gaulle.

Heathrow airport also saw a number of cancellations (Sky News)

A British Airways spokesman said: "We have apologised to our customers for any disruption to their travel plans and our teams are working hard to get them on their way as quickly as possible."

Storm Gerrit is unleashing fierce winds of up to 80mph and causing flooding across many parts of the UK. Towns and cities across northwest England and Wales, as well the northwest Midlands and southern Pennines, are now under a yellow warning area from 6pm today until 3am tomorrow after the Met Office updated its list of weather warnings

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Thousands of people have already been hit by power cuts before the main storm bit, with UK Power Networks urging the public to "stay well clear from power lines" after problems were reported in the southeast. As many as 2,852 customers in England and around 202 in Northern Ireland were without electricity on Wednesday morning, while disruption has already been reported on roads and the railway network.

Planes were left struggling to land at Bristol Airport (Sky news)

High winds have also forced the M48 Severn Bridge in Gloucestershire to close in both directions, and the Met Office said gusts of between 70 and 80mph had been recorded nationally in the early afternoon. Ferries have been badly affected by the weather across the UK, with hovercraft services to the Isle of Wight suspended and Calmac services to Scotland's Outer Hebrides disrupted. Passengers at the Port of Dover are meanwhile facing three-hour delays.

Localised flooding has also been reported in many areas of the UK. Barriers have been erected on the River Severn following a flood alert for White Abbey, Coalbrookdale, Ironbridge and Bridgnorth. In one heartwarming scene to come from the storm, a sheepdog in southwest Scotland was filmed successfully rescuing a group of confused lambs who had got themselves stuck in floodwater by taking them to dry land.

William Walker