Met Office weather warning Yorkshire: Will Leeds Bradford Airport flights be affected by cold weather? LBA issues statement following yellow weather warning for ice

The weather warning has been expanded to cover a bit more of North West England while also being extended to 12pm on Sunday, December 11. Two regional counties, North and West Yorkshire, will be affected by this ice weather warning this weekend.

According to the Met Office, regular wintry showers are expected to fall onto frozen surfaces in places, resulting in the formation of icy patches. These showers are predicted to fall as snow on high ground, with the possibility of several centimetres to accumulate, especially over the high ground of north Wales.

Yorkshire locals should be prepared for the risk of some injuries from slips and falls on icy surfaces. The weather service has also warned of possible icy patches on some untreated roads, pavements and cycle paths, so drivers, cyclists and pedestrians should be careful when out and about.

This severe weather has also affected flights out of various airports in the UK that are most affected by snow and ice. The weather forecast is a key factor when it comes to the pilot’s pre-flight checks and flight crew will regularly update their weather information throughout a flight.

Ice, snow and strong winds are not the only weather factors that affect flights, fog and crosswinds mean that air traffic controllers have to increase the gap between landing planes, reducing the number of aircraft that an airport can manage. The same weather can make it slower and more challenging for the planes to taxi between the runway and terminal building.

As with many commercial flights flying at more than five miles above the ground, they may also be affected by different weather.

The Met Office said: “Safety is always the first consideration for the aviation industry. An aircraft that’s stood overnight in freezing weather will need de-icing before its first flight in the morning.

“That’s a fairly big task for one plane but imagine the task at Heathrow on a snowy January morning. At the same time there are miles of taxiways and runways to clear.

“Then think about the people who do this work getting to the airport - the same snow and ice are probably affecting the roads and railways.”

Luckily, as Yorkshire is not affected as much by the extreme weather conditions, Leeds Bradford Airport has confirmed that there will be no disruptions and flights will resume as normal.