Over 100 flights from London’s Heathrow Airport were canceled this weekend and hundreds delayed because of severe windy weather as the airport prepared for what officials believe will be its busiest Christmas ever.
Forty-four flights were canceled at Heathrow Saturday and at least another 69 were canceled Sunday, The London Evening Standard reported.
Forecasts called for winds up to 85 mph in parts of northern England over the weekend, with gusts of nearly 50mph forecast for London.
More than 200 other weekend flights were also delayed.
However, when contacted by The Sun, a Heathrow spokesperson insisted only “a small number of flights” were axed Saturday due to “strong winds and airspace restrictions”.
“This will ensure the vast majority of passengers can still safely travel as planned,” the spokesperson said.
“We know how important travel at this time of year is and have extra colleagues on hand in our terminals to support people on their journeys.
“We encourage passengers to check in with their airlines for the latest information about their flights.”
The West London airport expects 21% more passengers will travel through its terminals on Christmas Day, compared to last Christmas, The Sun reported.
The airport also estimates breaking its previous record of 6.7 million passengers for the month of December, which it set last year.
The wet and windy weather has also caused many train and ferry cancellations throughout England.
