Passengers flying in or out of Gatwick will be heartened by the measures the airport has taken to ensure flights can carry on taking off and landing, no matter what the winter weather may bring.

Since last winter Gatwick has increased its snow clearing fleet and can now clear as much as airports in one of Europe’s snowiest cities, Oslo in Norway.

And to make sure there are staff there to greet passengers, workers have also been given snow socks for the wheels of their cars to help them arrive at work safely.

The only thing passengers looking for a winter getaway need to worry about now is the roads being passable for their airport transfers.

Gatwick chief executive officer Stewart Wingate said: “Our £8 million snow-clearing equipment has landed, it’s actually here. We’ve more than doubled the size of our snow-clearing fleet from 47 to 95, and the machinery is ready now.”

“We’re convinced we will be faster at clearing the runways.” he added.

The announcement of the snow clearing measures comes hot on the heels of news that a bill is being considered by the Government which could lead to multimillion-pound fines for airports who let passengers down by failing to ensure runways are clear for flights to take off and land.

The proposed fines will be the first changes to the rules governing winter operating at airports since the 1980s and if passed will come into force in 2012.

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Heathrow Airport has launched a “winter resilience programme” in anticipation of harsh weather, under which more than 1,400 staff and nearly 200 snow clearance vehicles will be on hand.

The strategy, put in place by Heathrow operator BAA, aims to ensure the airport is better prepared for a potential repeat of last year’s snow, which left thousands of Christmas travellers stranded. 

Last year the airport ground to a halt after snow fell in thick, enduring sheets in the run-up to Christmas. Many passengers trying to get home to their families were stuck for several days, sparking vehement criticism towards the operator.

Under its new plans, 468 staff per shift will be available for snow clearance – up from 117 last year. The number of vehicles ready to clear snow have been tripled – a fleet of 185 will be available. 

Up to 950 non-operational staff will be positioned in terminals to help passengers during disruption, as part of BAA’s new “reservist” role.

Unlike last year, when breakdowns in communication meant many passengers were unsure of the status of their flight, a new process for managing flight cancellations during disruption will provide passengers with more up-to-date information. 

This will require collaboration between airlines, air traffic control company Nats and ACL, the body which allocates take-off and landing slots at Heathrow.

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Edinburgh Airport is to receive equipment worth £1.5 million to help keep it open during extreme winter weather, it has been revealed.  

David Lister, BAA Scotland’s airside and autonomy director, announced the move at the Scottish Parliament’s Transport Committee on Thursday.

Mr Lister said that BAA Scotland had carried out extensive studies at airports in various countries to discover successful methods used to keep airports open during extreme weather.

He said: “We are working on improving our processes.

“We have also, internally at the airport, reviewed our equipment and as a result we have on order additional equipment.

“We have invested in at least £1.5 million of new equipment for delivery at the end of this year for the next winter.”

Despite the hefty investment, Mr Listed warned that it would be impossible to assure holidaymakers that the airport and its airport bus transfer services will never close in future due to snow.

He added: “We only have one core runway, which means under extreme snow conditions, we will always be forced to close.

“Any airport which only has one runway is not able to guarantee it remain open under those conditions.

“What we will be able to do is increase the levels of snowfall which we can continue to operate under and reduce the amount of time it takes to get operational again.”

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The icy weather that has gripped Britain this week shows no sign of easing as fresh snow showers and sub-zero temperatures continue to blight the country and play havoc with flight schedules at Gatwick and Edinburgh airports.

Strong north-easterly winds of up to 30mph have made the temperature feel as cold as -7C in parts of the UK, while approximately 15cm of snow is expected on higher grounds.

Gatwick has been closed with all departures and arrivals suspended until further notice due to the adverse weather conditions.

Airport spokeswoman Sarah Baranowski confirmed the runway was closed at 10.30pm on Tuesday night and ground staff working throughout the night had not been able to clear the settling snow.

“It is vital that passengers do not make their way to the airport and check our website and with their airline for updates,” she said.

“We need to make sure the runway is safe before all flights can recommence but the snow has not stopped all night.”

A statement on Gatwick’s website added: “Due to the current weather conditions, departing and arriving flights at Gatwick will be severely disrupted. The runway is currently closed to allow snow clearance activities to be carried out. Passengers are advised not to set out for the airport and should check directly with their airline or visit our website.”

Meanwhile, Edinburgh Airport has also closed due to heavy snow showers overnight. A statement on its website said it was anticipated that the runway would be clear and open at 6pm on Wednesday evening.

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Heavy snowfall in Scotland has closed a number of airports and created difficult travel conditions.

Large parts of the country have been crippled by snow and further flurries have been predicted.

Severe weather warnings for snow and icy roads in Grampian, Central, Fife, Strathclyde, Tayside, Lothian and Borders and South West Scotland have been issued by the Met Office. 

Edinburgh airport was shut for a time due to heavy snow and Aberdeen airport also suffered delays while snow clearing and de-icing took place.

Aisling Creevey, of MeteoGroup, the weather division of the Press Association, has also warned Londoners to prepare for the possibility of snow. 

As a result, people might want to use airport transfer services to get to Luton, Gatwick, Heathrow and Stansted airports in a bid to avoid using their cars on treacherous roads.

Forecasters warned the rest of the country is likely to be blanketed this week as the weather front moves west.

The severe conditions could also last well into next week, with rain, sleet and snow.

Victoria Kettley, a forecaster with MeteoGroup, said: “There will not be as much snow as on Sunday but there will be 2-5cm widely and over uplands easily up to 10cm through the day and overnight.”

“It will remain cold as there’s still the easterly wind so it’ll be a maximum of 2-4 degrees centigrade in coastal areas and inland it would be lucky to get above freezing.”

“We’re still expecting it to remain cold through the rest of the week, bitterly cold.”

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