South-west England suffered major travel disruption on Friday after Avon and Somerset Police shut both carriageways of the M5 between junctions 18 and 19 – a critical spur for Bristol Airport – during a ‘welfare incident’. Motorway cameras showed stationary traffic stretching for miles, with National Highways warning of 90-minute northbound and one-hour southbound delays at the peak. (thesun.ie)
The closure began shortly after midday and lasted nearly five hours, forcing many holiday-makers and business travellers to abandon taxis and hike to the terminal or rebook afternoon departures. EasyJet and Ryanair each confirmed more than a dozen flight delays, while three Paris and Dublin services were cancelled outright when crew timed-out.
Travel-management companies (TMCs) report a spike in same-day rail bookings from London to Bristol Temple Meads as passengers attempted to salvage onward connections. Employers with tight duty-of-care policies should note that the disruption coincided with lingering fog-related delays at Manchester and Liverpool airports, amplifying knock-on risks for national itineraries.
![Police ‘welfare incident’ closes M5 near Bristol Airport, causing 90-minute delays and missed flights]()
For travellers whose rerouted itineraries suddenly require entry or transit through additional countries, having the correct documentation in hand is vital. VisaHQ’s UK portal (https://www.visahq.com/united-kingdom/) offers fast online visa processing and real-time expert support, helping passengers secure emergency travel documents quickly and avoid further delays.
Police have not released details of the incident but stressed there was no wider security threat. Nevertheless, the episode underscores the vulnerability of single-point surface links to regional airports. Risk managers may wish to revisit contingency ground-transport options – including pre-booked rail and hotel inventory – particularly during winter weather season.
By 17:00 traffic had cleared, but Bristol Airport advised travellers to allow extra time through the weekend as airlines reposition aircraft and crew.
The closure began shortly after midday and lasted nearly five hours, forcing many holiday-makers and business travellers to abandon taxis and hike to the terminal or rebook afternoon departures. EasyJet and Ryanair each confirmed more than a dozen flight delays, while three Paris and Dublin services were cancelled outright when crew timed-out.
Travel-management companies (TMCs) report a spike in same-day rail bookings from London to Bristol Temple Meads as passengers attempted to salvage onward connections. Employers with tight duty-of-care policies should note that the disruption coincided with lingering fog-related delays at Manchester and Liverpool airports, amplifying knock-on risks for national itineraries.
For travellers whose rerouted itineraries suddenly require entry or transit through additional countries, having the correct documentation in hand is vital. VisaHQ’s UK portal (https://www.visahq.com/united-kingdom/) offers fast online visa processing and real-time expert support, helping passengers secure emergency travel documents quickly and avoid further delays.
Police have not released details of the incident but stressed there was no wider security threat. Nevertheless, the episode underscores the vulnerability of single-point surface links to regional airports. Risk managers may wish to revisit contingency ground-transport options – including pre-booked rail and hotel inventory – particularly during winter weather season.
By 17:00 traffic had cleared, but Bristol Airport advised travellers to allow extra time through the weekend as airlines reposition aircraft and crew.
