Icy weather conditions have led to the temporary closure of airports in four major cities in central Europe, causing significant travel disruptions. The airports in Budapest, Vienna, Bratislava, and Prague all had to shut down briefly on Tuesday morning due to freezing weather.
Budapest Airport made an announcement on Facebook stating that it would halt all incoming and outgoing flights starting at 10.25 am local time due to the presence of black ice. Hungary issued warnings for freezing rain and snow, with ice forming on the Danube and Tisza rivers. Additionally, Lake Balaton in western Hungary has frozen over, a rare event occurring once every 10 to 15 years.
Vienna International Airport also had to close as a thick layer of ice covered its runways, which kept freezing despite clearance efforts. Flights were redirected to other airports, and Austria’s state railway company OeBB advised passengers to delay non-urgent trips due to service disruptions and cancellations.
In Slovakia, Bratislava Airport shut down due to snow and ice, with warnings of black ice in the western regions and heavy snow in central and northern areas. Both Vienna and Bratislava airports were expected to resume operations later in the morning.
Prague Airport reported operating in a limited capacity, with arrival restrictions in place to allow for de-icing of runways, taxiways, and aircraft stands due to intense freezing rain, causing flight delays throughout the day.
Meanwhile, in northern Finland, extreme cold led to flight cancellations, leaving thousands of tourists stranded at Kittilä Airport as temperatures dropped to -37°C, making de-icing aircraft a challenging task.