Fog and strong winds have disrupted flights at Bristol Airport through Monday afternoon (9 November), with some departures listed as delayed indefinitely and several arrivals diverted to Newcastle, Gatwick and Exeter, continuing well beyond the morning's Met Office fog warning, which had been due to clear by 11am.
Bristol Live reported that visibility remained reduced into the afternoon despite the warning lifting, with easyJet telling passengers on its EZY2911 flight to Sharm El Sheikh that dense fog had cut visibility to around 250 metres. The outlet's live departure board tracking showed several of Monday's scheduled flights pushed back by hours, including Ryanair's Dublin service FR508, originally due at 12:15pm, now not expected until 9:15pm.
One of the more dramatic incidents involved an easyJet flight from Edinburgh. According to Exeter Today, flight EXY212 departed Edinburgh on time and was due into Bristol by 11:10am, but circled above the airport for roughly an hour as strong winds made landing unsafe. The aircraft was eventually diverted to Exeter Airport, where easyJet does not normally operate, landing there at 11:30am. Passengers were flown on to Bristol later that day, departing Exeter at 1:02pm and arriving just 17 minutes later.
easyJet apologised to those affected. "We're very sorry that your flight has been diverted," the airline said in a live update cited by Exeter Today. "This is due to strong winds in Bristol. The safety of you and our crew is our highest priority. The disruption to your flight is outside of our control and is considered to be an extraordinary circumstance."
Exeter Today reported that, according to flight-tracking data, 67% of arrivals into Bristol Airport had been delayed as of Monday afternoon. Bristol Live's live coverage also noted other arrivals rerouted away from Bristol during the day, with passengers describing long waits inside the terminal.
Monday's disruption follows a run of weather-related delays at Bristol Airport this month, including diversions during Sunday's fog and an earlier Met Office warning that had forecast clearer conditions by Monday lunchtime. The continued delays into the afternoon suggest the knock-on effects of the morning's fog, combined with afternoon winds, took longer to clear than airlines and the airport initially expected.
Passengers travelling to or from Bristol Airport on Monday evening are advised to check their flight status directly with their airline before setting off, particularly if connecting from a delayed inbound service, as knock-on delays are likely to continue into the evening.
What this means for your journey: if you're picking someone up on a delayed or diverted flight, check the live arrivals board before leaving home, and see our /parking/ page for options if you need to wait out a longer delay without paying for a full day.