Pilot Warns All London Airports Could Shut Simultaneously — SkimNews
Get the Energy newsletter
Daily energy & climate — solar, EVs, oil, the policy fights and tech bets shaping the transition. Free.
- Late-June thunderstorms over southern England and northern Europe delayed approximately 900 flights to and from Heathrow and Gatwick on a single Saturday, with some delays stretching to 11 hours and dozens of flights cancelled outright.
- Tim Atkinson, an airline risk consultant and former pilot, warned that climate change could one day knock all four London airports — Heathrow, Gatwick, Luton and Stansted — out of operation simultaneously, creating what he called a 'very serious risk event, such as an aircraft running out of fuel in the sky.'
- Andrew Charlton of Aviation Advocacy pushed back, saying the industry is good at reacting to worst-case scenarios and that simultaneous shutdowns are 'not the top' of things that keep him up at night.
- The Met Office said the UK may not see more thunderstorms overall as the climate warms, but those that do occur 'could be more impactful' thanks to greater convective energy and an atmosphere that holds about 7% more moisture per degree of warming.
- Prof Guy Gratton of Cranfield University described onboard weather radar systems as 'tactical rather than strategic,' meaning diversions are forced late in flight, burning more fuel and leaving little time for planning.
- Andrew Charlton warned that if storm delays become routine, airlines will need to load extra fuel as standard practice and plan to fly further — and because fuel is one of an airline's biggest costs, passengers will inevitably pay more.
- Dubai International Airport was forced to close its runways in April 2024 after torrential rain, with disruption lasting two days and more than 1,200 flights cancelled, illustrating how flooding can paralyse operations even when aircraft can fly safely.
- A Lufthansa flight from Austin to Frankfurt encountered 'brief but severe' clear-air turbulence on 1 March 2023 and made an emergency landing in Washington DC, where seven people were taken to hospital.
Why it matters: Andrew Charlton of Aviation Advocacy stated directly that if storm delays become the norm, airlines will need to load more fuel and plan to fly further as standard practice — and because fuel is one of an airline's biggest costs, he said it is inevitable passengers will pay more. The Dubai precedent (1,200+ flights cancelled in two days) shows that flooding alone can paralyse a major hub regardless of whether aircraft can technically fly.
Ask SkimNews
