Bristol Airport became the latest casualty of the heavy snow on the 6th January, when it had to close due to the dreadful weather conditions.
Overnight on the 5th to 6th of January and during the morning hours of that day, heavy snowfall pelted the city and caused major disruption to many people’s travel plans. Weather warnings had been issued by the Met Office but the heavy falls still caused plenty of problems.
The airport was closed for the whole morning and all flights in and out were delayed or cancelled as a result. The airport did eventually reopen but of course the weather conditions have not exactly improved since then. The UK is still coping with the heavy snow and ice and the conditions have led to further delays and cancellations at the airport.
The arrivals board was looking promising on the 8th January though. One early flight from Aberdeen had been cancelled but many other flights landed at or near to their expected arrival times. The departures board was equally promising with only a bare handful of flights cancelled – and again a couple of those were to Aberdeen.
It’s clear that for the moment at least Bristol Airport seems to be coping with the weather conditions. Provided the runways remain clear and safe flights should continue as normal, but it is always wise to check ahead if you have flight plans or you are picking someone up or dropping them off at Bristol Airport.
The question now is whether the snow has passed, or whether there is more to come. The forecast is not looking very good for the forthcoming few days as there is the chance of more snow on the way. But it isn’t just snow that can cause problems for those in charge at Bristol Airport and others across the UK. Ice can be just as problematic, particularly as it forms almost as fast as you can get rid of it.
So don’t expect any lasting signs of being ‘back to normal’ just yet. While Bristol Airport is coping well at the moment there is always the possibility that another fall of snow could threaten to close it temporarily once again. Keep an eye on their website to find out the latest news and see which flights arrive and depart on time and which ones end up being cancelled.