Flights Resume At Gatwick

21 April 2010, 14:22

Flights have resumed at Gatwick after UK airspace was reopened last night but there is still widespread disruption. Here's the latest advice from the airport:

Our priority is the safety and welfare of our passengers so we urge everyone to comply with these important points before setting our for the airport.

* Don’t come to the airport unless your flight has been confirmed by your airline. Contact your airline directly to confirm your flight.

* Don’t arrive at the airport any sooner than four hours before your confirmed flight is scheduled to leave. Passengers arriving any sooner will be asked to leave the airport as speculative trips will cause major congestion.

* Please use public transport wherever possible.

* Be prepared for queues and the possibility of delays and further cancellations.

* Friends and family collecting arriving passengers may be directed to a dedicated meeting point adjacent to the terminal buildings.

* Don’t leave bags unattended and make sure you follow the rules to help you prepare for check-in and security.

* Thank you for your patience. Additional staff will be on hand to offer advice to all passengers.

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At Gatwick Airport, a trickle of flights started moving from 6am this morning.

By midday, almost a fifth of the scheduled 50 departures had gone and 12 out of the 37 expected incoming flights had landed.

Flights from Orlando, Amsterdam, Alicante, Dublin., LA and Jersey were among those cancelled.  Other long haul arrivals were delayed by between 20 minutes and eight hours and delays on departures were an average of one to two hours.

Global Infrastructure Partners, who bought Gatwick from BAA for £1.5 billion last year, have been losing £1 million a day since British skies were closed and expect further heavy losses as disruption continues for weeks.