Airports close and flights suspended in Europe after ‘extreme’ black ice
Several airports in Europe have been forced to close and cancel their flights after severe icy weather.
Budapest Airport announced it would not be receiving flights from 10.25am local time (9.25am GMT) after heavy rain and ‘extreme’ ice.
In a post on Facebook, it said: ‘Due to black ice and extreme icing, Ferenc Liszt International Airport is temporarily not receiving and launching flights since 10:25 am for safety reasons. Budapest Airport will continue to provide updates on the developments; please follow the airport operator’s online platforms.’
Elsewhere in Hungary, meteorological services also issued alerts for freezing rain and snowfall after the freezing weather conditions swept through the country.
Trains and flights were experiencing delays, while authorities reported drift ice on the Danube and the Tisza rivers, where icebreakers have been put on alert.
Lake Balaton in the west of the country is currently frozen – a relatively rare phenomenon seen about once every ten to fifteen years.
However, authorities warned that the ice is still too thin for skating, urging the public to be cautious.
Meanwhille Airports in Prague, Vienna and Bratislava are also being affected by the cold weather sweeping through Europe.
A thick layer of ice, which kept refreezing after efforts to clear it, had formed on runways in Vienna forcing both the Vienna International Airport and Vaclav Havel Airport to divert flights this morning.
Vienna International Airport resumed departures from 11am local time (10am GMT), while arrivals will land again from 12pm local time.
Austria’s state railway company OeBB also asked travellers to postpone non-urgent journeys, with numerous train connections facing interruptions and cancellations.
In the Czech Republic, ice was also hampering road and rail traffic.
Prague airport came to a virtual standstill, with firefighters having to de-ice the runways.
Around 50 people were treated for injuries because of the icy conditions, according to Prague’s emergency services, the CTK news agency reported.
Freezing rain had left Prague Airport operating in a ‘very limited mode’, according to a message on its X account.
Delays were expected through the day and arrivals were being restricted as staff worked to de-ice the main runway, it added.
In neighbouring Slovakia, the Bratislava airport was also closed early Tuesday due to bad weather.
Slovak police on Facebook urged people to avoid travel because of ‘extreme’ ice and snow in the west of the country.
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