LONDON, United Kingdom — November 9, 2026 — Thick overnight fog grounded at least two dozen morning departures from London on Monday, with British Airways taking nearly all of the hits at Heathrow (LHR) and London City (LCY) holding and diverting arrivals. Conditions improved by late morning, but a new fog warning covers several other English airports tonight.
What happened
- Heathrow (LHR): 19 departures were listed as cancelled as of 8 a.m. on Monday, November 9. British Airways operated 18 of them; Iberia had the other one. Visibility at Heathrow fell to roughly 50 metres (about 160 feet) between 11:20 p.m. Sunday and 12:20 a.m. Monday, then recovered slowly through the early morning.
- London City (LCY): 5 departures were cancelled (KLM 2, Swiss 1, Air Dolomiti 1, Luxair 1). Arrivals were held, some were diverted to London Stansted (STN), and 4 arrivals were cancelled. Visibility at London City was about 50 metres from 12:20 a.m. to 1:50 a.m.
- Recovery: the Met Office’s yellow fog warning for London ran until 11 a.m. By 10:50 a.m., Heathrow was reporting visibility above 7 km (more than 4 miles) with a 500-foot cloud base.
- Getting to the airport: Heathrow said the fog had also slowed roads around the airport and asked travelers to allow extra time and check with their airline.
What comes next
At 8:45 a.m. the Met Office issued a fresh yellow fog warning valid from 6 p.m. Monday, November 9, to 10 a.m. Tuesday, November 10, with visibility below about 100 metres in places. It covers Essex, Luton, Greater Manchester and the West Midlands, which takes in the Stansted (STN), Luton (LTN), Manchester (MAN) and Birmingham (BHX) airport areas. Greater London is not in this warning. The Met Office described the conditions as “the perfect recipe” for fog. How long fog-related disruption will last beyond Tuesday morning: TBA.
| Airport | Monday morning impact | Outlook |
|---|---|---|
| London Heathrow (LHR) | 19 departures cancelled (18 British Airways, 1 Iberia) | Not in tonight’s warning area |
| London City (LCY) | 5 departures and 4 arrivals cancelled; some arrivals diverted to Stansted | Not in tonight’s warning area |
| Stansted, Luton, Manchester, Birmingham | Stansted took London City diversions | Yellow fog warning 6 p.m. Mon to 10 a.m. Tue |
What it means for non-revs
- Expect fuller British Airways flights out of Heathrow today. Passengers from about 18 cancelled BA departures are being rebooked onto later services, so standby seats on BA’s London flights will be tighter than usual for the rest of Monday.
- Check loads again before you list. Loads you looked at over the weekend may no longer be accurate after the morning cancellations.
- Morning departures are the riskiest in fog season. If you are routing through London this week, a midday or afternoon departure gives the fog time to lift and gives you more chances to roll to a later flight if you don’t clear.
- Tonight’s warning moves north. If you are flying from Manchester, Birmingham, Stansted or Luton between Monday evening and Tuesday morning, have a backup flight in mind and keep an eye on your airline’s status page.
- Allow extra time on the roads to Heathrow, as the airport advised, and carry on rather than check a bag if you might need to switch flights or airports.
Sources
- AeroCorner — Fog Cancels Flights at Heathrow and London City (November 9, 2026)
Get NonRev Travel News by email
A weekly recap newsletter, sent out every Sunday, with the airline, airport, cruise and travel-warning news that matters to airline employees and retirees. Free.
Subscribe free
