IQRA SHAIKH

LONDON: It’s not merely a case in Pakistan that as a festival approaches, the public gets to witness almost a catastrophic disturbance to the transport systems, be it coach journeys, railway or air flights.

Festive travel plans in England’s capital were hugely affected as Heathrow, Gatwick and London City airports experienced hold-ups. These were caused by the unfavorable weather conditions, contrary to Pakistan, where the reasons are more of a controversial nature. 

The three busiest airports of the country hit delays after fog shrouded the capital, Britain’s largest airline has said. Not only that, the thick blanket of heavy fog across the UK is threatening to cause travel mayhem with airports warning of cancellations and flight delays. This is enough to put many off during the festive season!

Due to the dense fog pilots were forced to land in shockingly poor conditions, with visibility in some areas as low as just 100m.

Passengers found themselves stuck and facing hours of delays at airports, as some incoming flights were diverted or cancelled. London City airports diverted ‘all’ incoming flights, whilst 50 flights at Heathrow were allegedly doomed cancelled. (On Dec 18)

British Airways tweeted displaying their concern and advised passengers to check their flight status online.

They also mentioned in a statement on its website: “We are sorry for the difficulties caused by the poor weather and will do all we can to minimize the effect it has on our operations.”

A woman complaining about the chaos the weather has brought said: “I got here [at Gatwick airport] at 11.30am for a 1.30pm flight but our flight is now due to leave at 4.30pm”.  She added: “It’s an absolute mess. There are people everywhere and with nowhere to sit.”

LONDON:  Canary Wharf here as seen through thick fog. LONDON: Trains were also reported to be running slower than usual as visibility became incredibly poor across the country.