Motorists heading to and from Birmingham Airport are facing severe disruption after heavy flooding forced the closure of the A4545, the new link road connecting the M42 to the A45 near the terminal. With all lanes shut in both directions and no clear reopening time, journeys by road in the area are taking far longer than usual, leaving travellers scrambling to replan routes and departure times. Here is what you need to know if you are flying in or out of the airport, meeting arriving passengers, or simply driving through this busy corridor in the West Midlands.
What Has Happened On The A4545 Near Birmingham Airport
Overnight and early morning downpours linked to the prolonged spell of wet weather across the UK have left standing water across sections of the A4545 between the M42 and the junction with the A45 close to Birmingham Airport. National Highways has confirmed that flooding has rendered the carriageway impassable, leading to a full closure of the link road and official warnings of severe disruption and long delays for drivers.
The A4545 is a relatively new dual carriageway that opened at the end of 2024 as part of the wider M42 junction 6 improvement scheme. Designed to ease chronic congestion around the airport, the National Exhibition Centre and nearby business parks, it runs parallel to the motorway and provides a dedicated high capacity route to the terminal. Its temporary loss has had an outsized impact because traffic that only recently shifted onto this new road has suddenly been pushed back onto older surrounding routes.
Local media and traffic monitoring services report that all lanes in both directions remain closed while specialist contractors use pumps and other heavy equipment to clear the floodwater. The closure was first signalled on the evening of Saturday 7 February and reiterated in the early hours of Sunday 8 February, with officials stressing that water levels and ground conditions mean there is no safe way to run even a reduced contraflow at present.
At the same time, wider flood alerts remain in force across large parts of the West Midlands after what forecasters describe as one of the wettest late winter spells on record. That combination of saturated ground and persistent rainfall has contributed to standing water not only on the A4545 itself but on connecting minor roads, further complicating diversion routes for airport traffic.
How Journeys To Birmingham Airport Are Being Affected
The immediate impact of the A4545 closure is being felt by anyone driving to Birmingham Airport from the M42, particularly from the south and east. The link road normally provides the most direct connection from junction 5A of the motorway to the A45 and into the airport estate. With that corridor out of action, vehicles are being forced to remain on the M42 for longer or divert via alternative junctions and local roads that are already busy under normal conditions.
National Highways has classified the incident as causing severe disruption, indicating anticipated delays of more than three hours or a complete road closure for a sustained period. Early reports from drivers in the area describe slow moving or stationary queues on approaches to the motorway junctions and on parallel routes through Solihull, particularly where they intersect with the A45 Coventry Road. Congestion around local roundabouts and business parks is also being reported as airport bound traffic mixes with everyday commuter flows.
For passengers, the most pressing consequence is the risk of missing flights. Airlines typically close check in desks between 40 minutes and two hours before departure depending on destination and carrier. With travel times by road now highly unpredictable, anyone relying on usual journey estimates from sat nav or previous experience could find themselves arriving too late. Airport officials have urged passengers to leave significantly more time than usual and to consider alternative transport modes if possible.
Those collecting arriving passengers are being affected as well. While aircraft movements themselves are not directly impacted by the flooding on the A4545, knock on effects mean that some inbound travellers are finding it difficult to reach pre arranged pick up points on schedule. There is also the likelihood that car parks and forecourts may become busier than normal as people arrive early to factor in delays, only to find flights still operating on time.
Current Conditions On The Roads Around The Airport
As of Sunday morning, the A4545 remains closed in both directions between the M42 and the A45 near Birmingham Airport. Traffic cameras and on the ground observations indicate that water remains across multiple lanes, with pools deep enough to pose a risk of engine damage or vehicle loss of control. Contractors are working to pump water away from the carriageway and clear drains that have been overwhelmed by the sheer volume of rainfall.
Drivers are reporting heavy congestion on sections of the M42 approaching junctions serving Birmingham Airport and the NEC, as well as slow moving traffic on parts of the A45 that act as alternative access routes. The cumulative effect of the closure, bad weather and ongoing maintenance schemes elsewhere in the region is that the entire motorway and trunk road network to the east of Birmingham is under pressure.
Motorists who decide to bypass the main roads are encountering their own problems. Local routes through residential areas and village centres are not designed to handle significant volumes of diverted traffic, and many of these smaller roads are also affected by surface water, temporary traffic lights or minor incidents caused by poor visibility and slippery conditions. Authorities continue to advise against any non essential travel in the worst affected patches and stress that drivers should never attempt to pass through floodwater, however shallow it may appear.
Public transport providers are also having to adapt. Coach operators that normally use the A4545 are rerouting services, adding extra journey time into airport bound schedules. Rail connections into Birmingham International remain more resilient, although heavy rain across the wider network has led to warnings of weather related speed restrictions and possible delays on some lines into the West Midlands. Travellers are being urged to check live service updates before setting out.
What Travellers Flying Today Need To Do
Anyone with a flight departing from Birmingham Airport over the coming 24 hours should build in substantial extra time for their journey to the terminal. The airport and transport authorities rarely give hard and fast figures, but in the current circumstances a sensible rule of thumb is to allow at least an additional hour beyond your normal planned driving time, and more if you are travelling at traditional morning or evening peaks.
Passengers should check the specific advice from their airline, particularly if they are flying long haul or on a service where check in and bag drop deadlines are strict. Some airlines have the capacity to show local travel alerts in their apps, but many do not, so it is wise to monitor both airport and road authority updates. Remember that security queues and border checks inside the terminal can fluctuate independently of road conditions, and arriving with a comfortable buffer remains the best protection against unexpected delays.
Those relying on friends, family or private hire vehicles for drop off and pick up may want to agree more flexible arrangements than usual. Rather than fixing to a single meeting time at the terminal, consider building in contingencies, such as waiting in a nearby service area until the passenger has cleared immigration and collected luggage, or using real time location sharing where both parties are comfortable doing so. This can help manage the uncertainty created by congestion around the airport perimeter.
For travellers with mobility needs or tight connections, proactive planning is especially important. You may wish to contact your airline or the airport assistance team in advance to discuss any additional support or adapted timings that might be necessary given the current disruption. Airport staff will be aware of the local situation and can often help buffer some of the impact by prioritising passengers whose access to the terminal has been heavily affected by events outside their control.
Alternatives To Driving Via The A4545
With the A4545 out of action, passengers are being encouraged to consider alternatives to a direct road journey via the motorway link. One of the most reliable options remains travelling by rail to Birmingham International station, which sits adjacent to the airport and is connected to the terminal by the free Air Rail Link people mover. Trains from central Birmingham, Coventry, London and other regional centres continue to serve the station, although travellers should check for any weather related timetable changes.
For those already in the West Midlands, local rail services can often offer a realistic alternative to battling congestion on the motorway network. Changing at Birmingham New Street or another hub for a short onward hop to Birmingham International may add a transfer into your journey but can remove much of the uncertainty created by standing water and road closures. Coach and bus operators also run services to the airport, some of which have been rerouted but remain operational.
Taxi and private hire passengers should speak with operators at the time of booking about expected journey times and potential surcharges for extended waiting in traffic. Reputable firms will have up to date information on local conditions and can suggest the most efficient route given the closure of the A4545. They may also advise on booking windows to avoid missing flights, particularly during busy holiday periods when airport traffic is at its heaviest.
Drivers determined to stick with the car should make full use of real time traffic information built into navigation systems or available from trusted broadcast and digital services. However, reliance on sat nav alone can be risky in rapidly changing flood conditions, so any route that appears to use minor lanes or unfamiliar cut throughs should be treated with caution. If you encounter a flooded section of road, you should turn back and seek an alternative rather than attempting to cross.
Why This Closure Matters For UK Travel Right Now
The flooding on the A4545 is not an isolated incident but part of a wider pattern of weather related disruption that has hit much of the UK in recent weeks. Persistent bands of heavy rain have left river levels elevated and groundwater saturated, leading to surface flooding on roads in multiple regions. The West Midlands has been singled out by forecasters as one of the areas most exposed to further downpours, increasing the risk of repeated problems on key corridors serving Birmingham and its airport.
Birmingham Airport is a major hub for domestic and short haul European flights, as well as select long haul routes, handling millions of passengers a year. Its location near the intersection of several strategic trunk roads means that any significant disruption in the immediate vicinity can have knock on effects far beyond the local area. When the newly built A4545, designed precisely to alleviate pressure, is taken out of service by flooding, the strain quickly shifts to other parts of the national network.
More broadly, the episode underlines the vulnerability of new and existing transport infrastructure to increasingly frequent extreme weather events. While modern roads are built with drainage and resilience in mind, unprecedented rainfall totals and back to back storms can overwhelm even well designed systems. The situation near Birmingham Airport will add to growing questions about how the UK adapts roads, railways and airports to cope with a climate in which intense rainfall is becoming more common.
For travellers, this means that disruption of the kind seen on the A4545 may become a more regular feature of the winter and early spring travel calendar. Planning journeys with greater flexibility, being prepared to switch modes at short notice, and paying close attention to official alerts on both weather and transport conditions will be important habits for anyone who needs to remain mobile through the wettest months of the year.
Practical Tips To Minimise Disruption To Your Plans
If you are due to travel via Birmingham Airport while the A4545 remains closed, there are several steps you can take to lessen the impact on your plans. First, review your itinerary and identify any parts that are time critical, such as check in closing times, onward connections or hotel check ins. Work backwards from those fixed points to build in expanded buffers for each stage of your journey, including getting to the airport and moving through the terminal.
Second, consider how much flexibility you have in your mode of transport. If you usually drive, this may be a good moment to explore rail or coach options, especially if you are travelling from a city that has direct services to Birmingham International. For groups or families with large amounts of luggage, it might be worth splitting travel, with some members going ahead by train to secure check in while others follow with bags in a vehicle if that is feasible and permitted by airline rules.
Third, keep a close watch on live updates. While the A4545 is currently closed, conditions can evolve quickly as water is pumped away and rain intensity changes. Equally, new issues can arise elsewhere. Monitoring both road and rail status on the day of travel will help you avoid last minute surprises. Set up alerts where possible and be prepared to make decisions early, rather than waiting until you are already en route and committed to a particular path.
Finally, build in contingency in your personal arrangements. This might mean packing a small supply of food and water in case you are stuck in traffic, ensuring that phones and power banks are fully charged, and having contact details for your airline, accommodation and any other key services easily to hand. Should the worst happen and you miss a departure because of the disruption, being able to quickly reach the right people can make the process of rebooking and rearranging far less stressful.
Looking Ahead: When Will Normal Travel Patterns Resume
At the time of writing, there is no confirmed reopening time for the A4545 near Birmingham Airport. Contractors are working to remove floodwater and assess any damage to the carriageway or associated drainage systems, but much will depend on how the weather evolves over the next 24 to 48 hours. Further heavy showers could slow progress or even cause new accumulations of standing water, while a sustained break in the rain would allow crews to make rapid headway.
National Highways and local authorities typically aim to reopen at least part of a strategic route as soon as it is safe, even if that means starting with a single lane under temporary speed limits. However, they will be cautious about doing so when flooding has been as severe as currently reported on the A4545, particularly given the high speeds at which traffic normally flows on this link and the limited room for manoeuvre once vehicles commit to the carriageway.
In the medium term, the incident is likely to feed into ongoing drainage and resilience works already planned for other key roads in the region. Projects on nearby stretches of the A45, for example, are being carried out to reduce the risk of flooding and improve safety for road users. Lessons learned from the present closure of the A4545, including how water has behaved across the landscape and how quickly it has drained away, will inform both short term mitigation and longer term design decisions.
For now, the best approach for travellers is to assume that disruption will continue for at least the rest of the weekend and possibly into the early part of the coming week. Anyone with flexibility in their schedule may wish to avoid non essential trips through the affected area until clearer information emerges. Those who must travel should stay informed, stay patient and prioritise safety over speed as the West Midlands navigates the latest in a series of weather driven challenges to its transport network.