Stansted Airport has suspended all flights after bad weather forced it to close the runway.
Heathrow and Gatwick also canceled or delayed flights after snow, ice and freezing fog hit Britain.
A yellow weather warning remains in place for Scotland, London and southwest England until Monday morning, with disruption expected to continue.
Trains were also delayed after several motorway accidents and drivers were warned to exercise caution.
Stansted said on Sunday night that its only runway had been closed due to weather conditions to allow for snow clearance and all flights had been suspended.
“Deicing of aircraft caused flight delays which is the ground handler’s responsibility and the safety of the aircraft and passengers is paramount,” a spokesperson added.
“Passengers are advised to check with their airline for the current status of their flights.”
James Lowe told JEE News he was trapped for several hours on the Loganair plane at Stansted after it failed to take off.
“The captain wanted to de-ice the wing,” he said. “But by the time the ground crew came to do it and the plane was ready, the runway was closed and we had to stand back.”
However, he said the staff were great and “made the whole thing a lot better, or at least as good as it could be for this type of situation”.
Heathrow and Gatwick were affected.
More than 50 flights were canceled at Heathrow on Sunday, as freezing fog forced restrictions on air traffic control that allowed hourly landings and departures.
The airport said it was keeping passengers safe and trying to get them to their destinations as soon as possible.
“We encourage passengers to check their flight status with their airline for the most up-to-date information,” a spokesperson said.
British Airways, Heathrow’s largest airline, said it apologized to customers and was refunding or rebooking canceled flights and providing refreshments and hotel vouchers where needed.
It said Heathrow was going to limit flights in and out of the airport again on Monday, meaning further disruption.
Sunday 11/ Monday 12 December: Snow and freeezing weather may cause disruption at the airport. Passengers are advised to check flight status with their airline – and also local travel conditions – before departing for the airport.
— Gatwick Airport LGW (@Gatwick_Airport) December 11, 2022
Gatwick Airport closed one of its runways at 17:55 GMT on Sunday due to unpredictable snow and reopened it at 20:00 when conditions cleared.
Several flights were delayed or canceled during the shutdown, while 28 others were diverted to other airports.
“Every effort is being made to bring these flights back to Gatwick tonight,” a spokesman said.
“Freezing weather conditions are expected to continue into this evening and may cause further disruption at the airport.
“Passengers traveling this evening and tomorrow are advised to check their flight status – and local travel conditions – with the airline before leaving for the airport.”
A spokesman for London Luton Airport warned that flights could be disrupted and advised passengers to allow extra time when traveling to the airport.
Manchester Airport closed both runways on Saturday due to ‘heavy snow’, affecting dozens of flights.
Some passengers complained of a lack of information from airlines about the cancellations on Sunday.
Others said they were unable to get off the plane due to icy conditions.
