Delhi-London flights resume as Heathrow opens partially

Almost all London-bound flights from India resumed today after Heathrow airport partially opened for operations. The airport was closed for the past two days following heavy snow.

Air India, British Airways, Virgin Atlantic and Jet Airways operated their flights from Delhi, but on a revised schedule. However, Kingfisher Airlines could not start operations from Delhi as its airplanes are stuck in Europe following unavailability of de-icing fluid at Brussels airport. The airline’s local supplies had been exhausted and fresh supplies were expected to take a while.

Flights to and from London had been affected for the past two days due to inclement weather conditions in the UK.

London's Heathrow has been the worst-hit with two-thirds of the flights being cancelled until Wednesday, while other UK airports, including Gatwick, have also been badly affected due to snow. Gatwick airport reopened at 06:00 GMT after remaining closed overnight. One of Heathrow's runways was closed yesterday.

Passengers have been warned to expect more delays and cancellations, possibly up to Christmas Day.

Yesterday, all flights to London from the country were cancelled as Heathrow remained closed. The airlines have asked passengers to remain in touch with their call centres or travel agents. They are also allowing the passengers to cancel and rebook their tickets without extra charges.

Some passengers who had to travel urgently to London are taking flights to Paris or other nearby destinations to reach London at the earliest.