Severe fog and staffing shortages triggered more than 320 flight delays and 17 cancellations at London Heathrow, London City and Geneva airports on 17 December, leaving hundreds of Irish transiting passengers scrambling for alternatives at the height of the Christmas rush. Among the cancellations was Aer Lingus flight EI35 from Manchester to Orlando, forcing US-bound travellers to re-route via Dublin or New York.
British Airways, easyJet and Aer Lingus said safety-critical low-visibility procedures reduced runway capacity at Heathrow by 20 percent, while air-traffic-control restrictions in French airspace compounded delays into Geneva. The disruption illustrates the knock-on risk for Ireland’s “hub-and-spoke” long-haul market: approximately 42 percent of Irish intercontinental travel connects via Heathrow, meaning an Irish origin or destination can be affected even when Dublin Airport operations are normal.
![Heathrow, City and Geneva Delays Ripple to Irish Market as 320 Flights Hit—Aer Lingus Customers Among the Stranded]()
Meanwhile, travellers suddenly obliged to transit new jurisdictions should remember that visa or ESTA requirements can change with a single re-routing. VisaHQ’s Ireland portal (https://www.visahq.com/ireland/) lets passengers and corporate travel managers run instant eligibility checks and arrange express documentation, ensuring disrupted trips remain compliant and on schedule.
Corporate mobility teams should note that same-day re-booking options are scarce. Heathrow’s final-week pre-Christmas load factor already tops 95 percent, according to OAG data, leaving little spare capacity. Companies with time-sensitive assignments are advised to consider Shannon-Boston or Dublin-Chicago non-stops as contingency routes and to brief employees on overnight accommodation and duty-of-care policies.
Aer Lingus said affected passengers can choose refunds, rerouting at the earliest opportunity or travel vouchers worth 120 percent of the fare. Under EU261, travellers delayed more than three hours on arrival may claim €600 compensation unless the airline can prove “extraordinary circumstances.” The UK Civil Aviation Authority has opened an enquiry into whether airlines supplied adequate welfare during the disruption. Irish regulators will monitor findings, which could influence future oversight of outbound contingency plans from Dublin and Cork.
British Airways, easyJet and Aer Lingus said safety-critical low-visibility procedures reduced runway capacity at Heathrow by 20 percent, while air-traffic-control restrictions in French airspace compounded delays into Geneva. The disruption illustrates the knock-on risk for Ireland’s “hub-and-spoke” long-haul market: approximately 42 percent of Irish intercontinental travel connects via Heathrow, meaning an Irish origin or destination can be affected even when Dublin Airport operations are normal.
Meanwhile, travellers suddenly obliged to transit new jurisdictions should remember that visa or ESTA requirements can change with a single re-routing. VisaHQ’s Ireland portal (https://www.visahq.com/ireland/) lets passengers and corporate travel managers run instant eligibility checks and arrange express documentation, ensuring disrupted trips remain compliant and on schedule.
Corporate mobility teams should note that same-day re-booking options are scarce. Heathrow’s final-week pre-Christmas load factor already tops 95 percent, according to OAG data, leaving little spare capacity. Companies with time-sensitive assignments are advised to consider Shannon-Boston or Dublin-Chicago non-stops as contingency routes and to brief employees on overnight accommodation and duty-of-care policies.
Aer Lingus said affected passengers can choose refunds, rerouting at the earliest opportunity or travel vouchers worth 120 percent of the fare. Under EU261, travellers delayed more than three hours on arrival may claim €600 compensation unless the airline can prove “extraordinary circumstances.” The UK Civil Aviation Authority has opened an enquiry into whether airlines supplied adequate welfare during the disruption. Irish regulators will monitor findings, which could influence future oversight of outbound contingency plans from Dublin and Cork.
