Travellers flying from Bristol airport today have been warned to expect disruption after suspected lightning strikes damaged airport equipment.

The aviation hub temporarily closed to passengers on Monday evening after a thunderstorm caused “complex damage” to air traffic control systems.

Bristol airport’s website previously read: “Following the earlier electrical storm, Bristol Airport remains closed to arriving and departing aircraft whilst engineers investigate a fault with Air Traffic Control systems. Customers should contact their airline with any specific flight queries.”

Several aircraft were diverted to alternative airports and were “left out of position” during the electrical storm last night.

A spokesperson for Bristol airport said: “Bristol Airport is open after operations were temporarily suspended yesterday evening after a weather-related issue.”

England was hit with dramatic thunderstorms on Monday night as the UK braces for what could be a record-breaking spell of heat.

Hundreds of homes in Bristol were briefly without power due to the weather, according to the National Grid.

The airport said an electrical storm over the airport caused “damage to air traffic communications equipment, impacting both primary and backup systems”.

Air passengers are advised to check their airline’s app or website before travelling to Bristol airport.

The airport added that on-site engineers were working closely with NATS, which operates the air traffic control services at the airport, to resolve the problem.

Bristol airport said: “Unfortunately, flights had to be cancelled and diverted during this time, and we’re sorry to all passengers who suffered disruption caused by the weather event.

“We’ll be working with NATS to fully understand what happened, but early indications are that several lightning strikes caused damage to equipment.”

Read more: Huge thunderstorms hit Britain as country braces for record-breaking 40C heat

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