Jersey Airport will reopen at midday on Friday after assessing damage from the storm.
Storm Ciarán has wreaked havoc across western Europe since Wednesday evening, hitting France, the UK, Belgium, Germany, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands and Portugal.
Record winds of over 200km/h slammed France’s Atlantic coast and millions have been left without power. The death toll from the storm has risen to 12.
The storm has now eased but dozens of flood warnings remain in place in the UK, with strong winds and rain now moving to Scotland and the north of England.
Some travel disruption also remains, with Jersey airport still shut due to damage from the extreme weather.
The so-called ‘weather bomb’ was created by a clash between the Atlantic jet stream and a low-pressure system that descended from the north of Europe.
The epicentre of this extreme weather was over the UK and France with some ferry services, trains and flights cancelled on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.
Some travel operators are saying disruption could continue until Saturday.
Are ferries still cancelled due to Storm Ciarán?
Various ferry services were disrupted on Thursday due to strong winds and high waves in the English Channel.
DFDS Ferries cancelled all sailings between the UK and France from late on Wednesday evening until Friday morning. Some services still face delays, including the Dover-Dunkirk sailing and Amsterdam-Newcastle.
Brittany Ferries has also warned passengers of potential disruption on its cross-Channel routes.
“We will continue to monitor forecasts carefully in the coming 24 hours. If your sailing is affected, we will be in touch as soon as possible via email or SMS. May we ask you not to contact us by phone, as call volumes are expected to be high.”
The company cancelled some journeys between France, Spain and the UK on Thursday.
Condor Ferries says there remains a “significant risk of disruption” to high-speed services between St Malo and The Channel Islands until Monday 6 November. Passengers can switch to services on 7 November at no extra charge.
Are trains still being cancelled due to Storm Ciarán?
On Wednesday, French rail operator SNCF warned passengers to expect cancellations and disruption due to Storm Ciarán.
“In anticipation of the violent winds which will blow across the northwest of France and in order to guarantee the safety of travellers, many trains will not run,” it has said.
TER services in Brittany Normandy, Hauts-de-France, Pays de Loire and Centre Val de Loire were cancelled. As of Friday morning, lines are gradually reopening but disruption expected to continue into Saturday morning.
The best way to check if your train is likely to be affected by the storm is at the SNCF Connect website.
In the UK, National Rail was forced to close several routes due to heavy flooding in southern parts of England. Some trains are running at slower speeds for safety reasons.
“Train companies running services in the south of England, South Wales and North East England may still be affected following the impact of the storm,” says the rail operator. ScotRail services in Scotland could also be disrupted on Friday and Saturday.
National Rail advises passengers to check their service provider for the latest updates.
Rail operator LNER has also warned of disruption to services until at least 4 November.
“We strongly advise customers to avoid travelling on Thursday 2 November and Friday 3 November,” it has said.
“Some LNER trains will be running, but there is likely to be major disruption including severe delays, short-notice cancellations and overcrowding.”
Eurostar was expecting disruptions or slowdowns on Thursday and recommended that passengers delay trips planned for that day.
Are flights still cancelled because of Storm Ciarán?
In the Channel Islands, some flights are still facing disruption and cancellations as airports slowly reopen. Jersey Airport will reopen at midday on Friday, with scheduled flights restarting from 2pm.
Guernsey Airport suffered some damage to its roof in the storm. Repairs have started and the airport has reopened following its closure on Thursday. Alderney airport has also reopened.
A number of airlines faced delays across Ireland and the UK on Wednesday and Thursday, including easyJet and Ryanair. At London Heathrow, British Airways cancelled almost 40 domestic and European flights on Thursday.
Dutch airline KLM also cancelled dozens of flights to and from Amsterdam Schiphol airport on Thursday due to high winds.
Quimper Airport in Brittany, France and Brest airport have now reopened after closures on Wednesday and Thursday.
Although flight schedules now appear to have normalised, passengers are advised to check for flight updates before travelling to affected airports.
Source : Euro News
