Flights to and from Stanstead Airport were disrupted after lightning strikes damaged the aircraft fueling system.
According to FlightStats, over 200 planes were delayed at Stanstead Airport while 31 departures and 18 arrivals were cancelled on Sunday morning.
The fueling system has since been repaired. However, passengers have been warned to check with their airline for updates.
Passenger update: pic.twitter.com/m6dyNnHdGB
— Stansted Airport (@STN_Airport) May 27, 2018
The airport said in a statement: “Due to an earlier lightning strike, the aircraft fuelling system was unavailable for a period this morning.
“Engineers have been on site and have now restored the system, however flights may still be subject to diversion, delay or cancellation.
“We apologise for the inconvenience and advise all passengers to check with their airlines for their latest flight updates.”
According to the Met Office, there were 50,000 lightning strikes reported across the country in 24 hours.
Passengers went to Twitter to vent their frustration.
Lorraine Townley said in a tweet: “@Ryanair if you know that you have no access to fuel and all flights from Stansted are delayed why make us board the plane to sit on here for hours waiting for you to fix the issue? It’s boiling hot and we aren’t even being given free water. Making more money off us!”
A Ryanair spokesperson said: “We apologise to all customers affected by these disruptions, which are entirely beyond our control,”
