Engineers have been on site and have now restored the system, however flights may still be subject to diversion, delay or cancellation,” a Stansted Airport spokesman said in a statement on Twitter. Flights due to land at Stansted Airport were being diverted to other destinations, with passengers landing at East Midlands Airport, about 125 miles away. One flight from Eindhoven was diverted to Birmingham Airport, and another from Bratislava landed at East Midlands.
Passengers have described being stuck on planes for hours waiting to take off, while others are waiting in an already crowded departure lounge for information. There have been no announcements. Frustrated passengers have been venting their thoughts on social media. Some airlines offered a full refund. Dramatic thunder and lightning storms fell over London and parts of the South East on Saturday night. Forecasters had earlier warned that homes and businesses could be flooded, with damage to some buildings coming as a result of the strikes as well as hail and strong winds. “I’ve never seen a storm with such frequent lightning in my life I don’t think. Mostly sheet lightning and not too loud but flashes are spectacular,” BBC weatherman Tomasz Schafernaker tweeted. He referred to the “Mother of all #thunderstorms.”
