Flights delayed at Gatwick Airport following death of Queen Elizabeth II

Flights have been delayed at Gatwick Airport after it was announced that Elizabeth II, Queen of the United Kingdom and 14 other Commonwealth realms, has died aged 96, as reported on Thursday, September 8.

Gatwick Airport took to their official Twitter account to post a tribute to Queen Elizabeth II:

“It is with great sadness that we hear the news about Her Majesty The Queen. Our thoughts are with the Royal Family at this difficult time.”

The original tweet issued by The Royal Family read:

“The Queen died peacefully at Balmoral this afternoon.”

The King and The Queen Consort will remain at Balmoral this evening and will return to London tomorrow.

It is with great sadness that we hear the news about Her Majesty The Queen. Our thoughts are with the Royal Family at this difficult time. https://t.co/Ayh6AokeZd

— London Gatwick LGW (@Gatwick_Airport) September 8, 2022

In another tweet posted by Gatwick Airport they claimed the delayed flights were due to poor weather and air traffic control restriction across Europe:

“⛈ Poor weather across Europe and air traffic control restrictions are causing delays and cancellations at Gatwick, which will continue for the rest of the day. We apologise to any passengers who have been impacted by today’s disruption.”

⛈ Poor weather across Europe and air traffic control restrictions are causing delays and cancellations at Gatwick, which will continue for the rest of the day. We apologise to any passengers who have been impacted by today’s disruption.

— London Gatwick LGW (@Gatwick_Airport) September 8, 2022

Enrique Diez Brocal, a Spanish citizen from the Alicante region, is one of many who has seen their flight delayed.

“My family and I are returning from a holiday in London. Our Gatwick-Alicante flight was originally supposed to depart at 8.pm English time. Now it has been delayed until 10.pm.”

Commenting on experiencing the historic moment of the death of the nation’s beloved monarch in England’s capital, Brocal stated:

“When the news of the death of Queen Elizabeth II was announced and photos were displayed on screens around the airport it was extremely moving. Lots of people started to cry.”

In addition to his flight being delayed, he added that the family had witnessed huge traffic jams while travelling to the airport.