Disruption caused by fog continues at Gatwick on airport’s busiest day of the holiday period

Flight disruption caused by foggy weather is expected to continue at Gatwick until the end of the day on Sunday, after days of delays at some of the country's busiest airports.

It comes as Gatwick faces its busiest day during the holiday period, with 769 flights planned.

One of the airport’s largest airline operators, easyJet, said on Sunday afternoon that several flights had been delayed or cancelled due to the knock on impact of delays caused by the poor weather conditions.

The delays follow two days of thick fog at some of the UK's busiest airports causing travel disruption at Heathrow, Luton, Manchester and Stansted Airports, with passengers at Gatwick facing waits of up to three hours on Friday.

Nats, the UK’s main air traffic control provider, said temporary air restrictions will continue on Sunday in areas with low visibility.

“While the weather conditions have improved, fog continues to affect some airports in London today," a spokesperson said.

Heathrow, Stanstead and Luton Airports said flights had not been affected by the weather as of Sunday morning.

A spokesperson for Gatwick airport said: "Temporary air traffic restrictions have been put in place due to fog causing poor visibility. Some flights may be delayed throughout the day.

"London Gatwick apologises for any inconvenience. Passengers should contact their airline for further information."

Travellers have been urged to contact their airlines for updated information.

A spokesperson for easyJet said: "Due to ongoing poor weather conditions resulting in air traffic control restrictions and delays at London Gatwick today, some flights this evening are now unable to operate as planned.

“We are doing all we can to minimise the impact of the weather for our customers, providing options to rebook or a refund for cancelled flights, as well as hotel accommodation and meals where required. "We advise customers due travel to and from London Gatwick today to check our Flight Tracker for the latest information on their flight.“The safety and wellbeing of our customers and crew is our highest priority and while this is outside of our control, we are very sorry for the inconvenience caused by the weather."

Flights at Stansted airport were affected by the weather conditions on Saturday, while live departure boards showed delays at Heathrow, Luton and Manchester airports.

Among those affected by the weekend's cancellations were a couple who have been forced to prolong their Christmas visit to family on the Isle of Man by two days.

Kiera Quayle, from Colchester, Essex, was due to fly from Isle of Man Airport to Gatwick on Friday evening with her husband after visiting his family but their flight was delayed by three hours before being cancelled entirely at around 10pm, with their next available journey on Sunday.

Subscribe free to our weekly newsletter for exclusive and original coverage from ITV News. Direct to your inbox every Friday morning.

“Our five days has turned to seven, it looks like,” Ms Quayle said.

“It’s frustrating and stressful but I overheard a few families who are now missing holidays and work who have it worse at this point.”

Dense fog across the north west led to more than 40 flights departing from Manchester Airport being disrupted or delayed on Friday.

Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To Know