Agencies and airports are bracing themselves for disruption today (Friday) as Storm Éowyn triggered multiple travel warnings.
By 10am today, 1,070 flights had been cancelled to and from UK and Irish airports, equivalent to 20% of all scheduled services, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium.
Cancellations throughout the day are affecting airports including Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Inverness, Belfast International and Belfast City.
Many British Airways domestic flights from Heathrow have been affected together with services to and from Ireland and Northern Ireland.
Almost all morning flights from Dublin airport have been grounded along with a handful of cancellations and delays at airports in Shannon and Cork.
Jet2.com said: “There are weather warnings in place and due to this, we have had to take the difficult decision to reschedule some flights on Friday.”
The Met Office has issued several weather warnings in place for the storm over the weekend, including a red warning – its highest – across Northern Ireland and Scotland for today (Friday).
The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office said in updated travel advice for Ireland: “There are severe weather warnings in place for Ireland for Thursday 23 and Friday 24 January due to Storm Éowyn.
“Please see Ireland’s weather service for further details, check travel plans in advance, and follow the advice of local authorities.”
The red warning is for wind gusts of up to 100 miles per hour along some exposed coastlines and flying debris, which the Met Office says could cause a danger to life.
People have been warned to expect damage to buildings with roofs blown off and “significant disruption to travel”.
Weather warnings
Amber warnings are also in place for parts of Scotland and the north of England on Friday, and the rest of the country is under at least one yellow warning for strong winds, rain and snow.
Barrhead Travel confirmed that some of its stores in Scotland would be closing as a precaution on January 24.
A spokesperson said: “Nothing is more important than the safety and wellbeing of our people. We have been carefully monitoring advice from government, local authorities and transport providers.
“Stores which can safely open will trade as normal, while all branches impacted by the red weather warning will be closed on Friday. Some shopping centres, for example, are already choosing to remain closed for at least part of the day.
“We’re well used to adapting and being able to support our customers virtually – and we’re still expecting a busy weekend ahead. With some flight cancellations already confirmed, we’ll also be supporting customers who need assistance with rebooking and schedule changes.”
One agency preparing for the impact is The Travel Village, based in Blackpool.
Its chief executive officer Phil Nuttall said: “We are ready for the big storm. We have an emergency response team which we kicked into gear this morning (January 23) at 8am.
“That means we have all the information on all arrivals and departures to make sure they are on our radar as a priority, and we can tick them off as they get going.”
He added: “We have got to be prepared and have the resources ready. There is no doubt airports like Liverpool and Bristol by the coast will be in the firing line, plus Manchester of course.”
Nuttall stressed one difference with Storm Éowyn compared with previous storms he has dealt with is the fact it is happening throughout a full day, rather than overnight, which means it is more likely to impact clients’ travel to and from airports, as well as their flights.
Duty of care
“We do have a duty of care to make sure we are prepared and are not surprised,” he said. “That is what we do for our clients and we will make the arrangements we can for our clients depending on what happens.”
Dawson & Sanderson, which has branches across Newcastle and Yorkshire, similarly confirmed it had “put steps in place” to mitigate for the storm.
A spokesperson explained: “Branches will remain open, but we are stressing that colleagues should travel only when safe to do so.
“Our branches are all in shopping centres, city centre or town centre locations which we expect to remain fully open.
“We are putting out social media posts to remind clients they can call or make bookings online as their safety is paramount.”
Dawson & Sanderson will have a 24/7 ‘careline’ open to assist travellers with disrupted plans and staffing levels have been “increased to cover every eventuality”.
The spokesperson added: “A storm of this magnitude is never welcome, and particularly in our busy period, we think we’ve made every effort to assist our clients, and the welfare of our colleagues is cared for.”
Oasis Travel, which has eight shops across Northern Ireland, is also bracing itself preparing for the storm.
‘One hour at a time’
Its executive director Sandra Corkin said: “We are just taking things one hour at a time. If necessary, all staff have laptops and office phones can be transferred to mobiles.
“Our priority today is remaining in contact with clients.”
She said there were lots of flight delays “threatened” but nothing confirmed yet, so the agency “will have to see what tomorrow brings”.
A Hays Travel spokesperson said regional sales managers were getting in touch with branches about the incoming storm.
Airports across the country have advised passengers to check the status of their flight before travelling, with bad weather in some areas forecast to last until Saturday.
Edinburgh airport said: “A red weather warning has been issued for Edinburgh and large parts of Scotland, with strong winds forecast.
“The Met Office alert has been put in place from 1000 to 1700 on Friday, January 24.
“Police Scotland have advised that people should not travel on roads within the Met Office’s red warning area – passengers and staff are urged to follow that advice.
“Following the red alert an amber warning will be in place until 2100 on Friday before the alert changes to yellow through until 1500 on Saturday, January 25.
“Passengers should continue to check the status of their flight with their airline while these warnings are in place and throughout the coming days.”
Belfast International said operations will be limited during Friday’s red weather warning as Northern Ireland prepares for the impact of Storm Éowyn.
“Police Service Northern Ireland have advised that people should not travel on roads within the Met Office’s red weather warning area – passengers and staff are urged to follow that advice.
“Most of our airline partners have suspended flights for the morning period and passengers have been advised. If you are due to travel on Friday 24th January please check with your airline for latest up to date flight information.”
Almost all flights from Belfast City are cancelled today.
The airport said: “As a result of the adverse weather expected, there may be some disruption to flights due to arrive and depart from Belfast City airport.
“Passengers are advised check the status of their flight with the airline.”
Birmingham airport said that Ireland and parts of Scotland are under red alert warnings with the arrival of Storm Éowyn from early morning.
Bristol airport said: “The Met Office has issued weather warnings across the UK, including for Bristol airport, from Thursday night into Friday morning. Passengers are advised to check with their airline for the latest flight updates and allow extra time when travelling to the airport.”
A spokesperson for AGS Airports, which owns and operates Aberdeen, Glasgow and Southampton airports, said: “With adverse weather forecast for Friday and Saturday, passengers are advised to check the status of their flight with their airline before travelling.”
A spokesperson for Newcastle airport said: “The Met Office has issued an amber weather warning for the North East, with Storm Éowyn expected to bring winds of up to 80 miles per hour between 6am and 9pm on Friday January 24.”
The airport anticipated disruption to flights arriving and departing and recommended passengers look at its website or app for the latest information.
A Manchester airport spokesperson echoed this as they advised passengers to allow extra time to travel to the airport as transport infrastructure could be affected.
Significant disruption was not anticipated as the current forecasts for Manchester airfield suggested headwinds down the length of the runway rather than crosswinds.
However, flight diversions from other airports, particularly those further north in Scotland and from Dublin in Belfast, were expected.
A spokesperson for Leeds Bradford airport advised customers to check with their airline for the most up-to-date information regarding their flight before travelling to the airport.
Simon McCulloch, chief commercial officer at insurer Staysure, said: “As airports across the UK experience significant disruption from yet another storm – this time Storm Eowyn, the fifth named storm this year alone – holidaymakers may find their travel plans impacted.
“If disruptions impact your trip, it’s important to understand what your insurance policy includes and excludes.
“For example, cancellations due to adverse weather may not automatically be covered under the terms and conditions of your policy, as all policies vary and depend upon the level of cover.
“With 12 named storms in the 2023-24 storm season, superseding the year before, storms that impact travel plans are becoming more frequent and more disruptive so getting cover that mitigates this is worth considering.”