G-CIVA departing Heathrow (CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons).
Passengers flying in and out of London on Friday are being told to check their flight status before leaving for the airport, as Storm Austen — the first named storm of the 2026/27 season — sweeps across southern England.
The Met Office has issued warnings for potential travel disruption through Friday, with strong winds and heavy rain expected to batter the capital and the wider South East for much of the day. Widespread flight cancellations have not been confirmed, but strong gusts could disrupt aircraft movements at London’s airports, and the airport operator has advised travellers to verify directly with their airline for updates before setting off.
Conditions are expected to be worst through the afternoon. The Met Office forecasts heavy rain for much of the day at Heathrow, easing only towards the evening, while the strongest winds across London are expected between 2pm and 7pm on Friday — the very window when much of the capital’s busiest flight traffic is airborne.
Heathrow braced for a difficult afternoon
Heathrow, Europe’s busiest airport, sits in the direct path of the storm band. Heavy rain is forecast for most of Friday, with clearance only expected later in the evening. While no airline has announced pre-emptive cancellations, crosswinds on the runways and reduced spacing between arriving aircraft are the classic triggers for the kind of rolling delays that passengers know all too well.
Anyone travelling through Heathrow on Friday should keep a close eye on their airline’s app or website rather than relying on departure boards from home. Flight times can slip at short notice when the weather turns, and check-in, security and the journey to the terminal all need working backwards from the new departure time, not the old one.
Gatwick exposed to the strongest gusts
Gatwick could face an even bumpier day. The airport sits closer to the south coast, where the storm is expected to be most severe, and West Sussex is under a yellow wind warning for Friday with gusts of 50mph to 60mph predicted. That is the sort of wind speed that forces air traffic controllers to stretch out arrival gaps, which quickly ripples through the schedule.
Passengers on early-morning flights from Gatwick are the most likely to feel the effects first, but disruption can persist long after the wind peaks as airlines and airports work through the backlog.
London City and the Stansted and Luton corridors
London City Airport’s short runway and low approach over the capital make it particularly sensitive to gusty crosswinds, so even modest shifts in wind direction can cause delays there out of proportion to the weather itself. Stansted and Luton lie on the same storm track and will be exposed to the same band of heavy rain and strong gusts, even if the headline warnings are concentrated on the south coast.
There is another complication for anyone travelling to the airports by train. The storm is also expected to cause disruption on the rail network on Friday, with strong winds a risk to overhead lines and fallen branches threatening lines across the region. Passengers using the Heathrow Express, the Gatwick Express or the Stansted Express should check for rail updates alongside their flight status — a smooth flight is no help if the train to the airport is not running. Storm Austen could cause rail delays across London too, and the strongest winds are expected between 2pm and 7pm on Friday.
Know your rights if things go wrong
If your flight is delayed or cancelled, a few practical steps can save a lot of stress. Check the status with your airline first — airlines rebook on a first-come basis, and it is the carrier’s app or customer service desk, not the airport information desk, that can move you onto another flight.
Under UK passenger rights, if your flight is cancelled you are entitled to a choice between a refund and being rerouted to your destination at the earliest opportunity, even if that means being booked onto a different airline. For long delays, airlines are required to provide care — food, refreshments and, where necessary, overnight accommodation — though weather-related disruption generally does not qualify for the standard compensation payments.
It is also worth checking what your travel insurance covers before you travel, not after. Policies differ widely on storm disruption, and some require you to have booked before the weather warnings were issued. Keep every receipt for food, transport and accommodation if you are stranded — insurers and airlines both ask for them.
The golden rule for Friday is simple: do not assume. Check the flight, check the train, leave earlier than feels necessary, and pack a charger. Storms move faster than timetables can be rewritten.
