[attach id=312478 size="medium"]Flights to and from Gatwick and Heathrow were delayed yesterday.[/attach]

A total of 135 Air Malta passengers were stranded at Gatwick for nearly 16 hours yesterday as strong winds continue to disrupt air traffic in the south of England.

An airline spokesman said the flight was due to arrive in Malta on Friday evening but was unable to take off from London due to strong winds.

The passengers were escorted to a hotel and flown out yesterday afternoon.

Pierre Stafrace, one of the stranded passengers, said he had arrived in Gatwick on a separate flight that had also experienced difficulty landing due to poor weather conditions.

“We had to fly round twice before landing. It was very turbulent,” he said.

The passengers were transferred to a nearby hotel until the flight finally left London yesterday afternoon.

Another Air Malta flight, scheduled to land at Heathrow on Friday, was diverted and landed in Gatwick due to heavy turbulence.

These were not the only local flights to experience the force of the harsh weather affecting the country.

The Air Malta spokesman said two other flights, one to Gatwick and another to Heathrow, were also delayed by a few hours yesterday.

No further flights are expected to be delayed.