Passengers travelling through Birmingham Airport have endured a torrid few days, facing significant flight delays and cancellations on two separate occasions within a 72-hour period. The disruption was triggered by the severe winter weather brought by Storm Goretti, which swept across the West Midlands.
Initial Closure and Ongoing Delays
The first wave of problems began on Thursday, January 8, when airport bosses were compelled to shut the runway entirely due to heavy snowfall. While the airport managed to reopen the following morning, January 9, services operated on a significantly reduced basis, leading to prolonged delays for many travellers throughout the day.
Power Failure Causes Second Wave of Chaos
Just as operations were recovering, a second major incident struck on Saturday night, January 11. Adverse weather conditions were blamed for a power outage that affected a critical radar facility operated by National Air Traffic Services (NATS). This technical fault forced the suspension of all incoming flights.
The consequences were severe for air traffic. More than 20 inbound flights were either cancelled, diverted to other airports, or subjected to enormous delays of up to four hours. During the disruption, only departing flights were able to operate from BHX.
Diversions and Apologies
Aircraft scheduled to land in Birmingham were instead redirected to several alternative airports across the country. These included:
- London Stansted Airport
- East Midlands Airport
- Liverpool John Lennon Airport
NATS engineers collaborated with the National Grid to resolve the power issue as swiftly as possible. A spokesperson for NATS confirmed on the morning of Sunday, January 12 that the radar had been restored and was "operating normally again." The organisation apologised to affected passengers.
Birmingham Airport also issued an apology to customers for the widespread inconvenience caused by the storm's twin impacts. A spokesperson emphasised that the safety of colleagues and customers remained the airport's number one priority throughout the challenging period.
