Snow disruption hits airport services (UK), and LHR

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The UK’s road, rail and air infrastructure faced severe disruption today as snow blanketed many parts of the country.
Cardiff, Bristol and Southampton airports are closed. Flybe cancelled flights from Southampton airport this morning to Amsterdam, Manchester, Edinburgh and Newcastle and no flights will run from the airport until 3pm today.
Airports such as Gatwick last night warned passengers to check the status of their flights before setting out from home.
Flights were operating as normal at Stansted this morning but passengers were again advised to check for latest flight information across the day.
Eurostar was forced to cancel two departures from London to Brussels and two from the Belgian capital to London St Pancras because of predicted heavy snowfall in the UK.
Speed restrictions were also imposed on the Channel Tunnel passenger service due to forecast snow in northern France.
Many domestic rail companies put reduced services in place including South West Trains which announced changes to its services today, including a revised timetable on a number of routes.
Snow forced Norwich airport to shut early this morning. The airport was due to give an update on services at 8am. Passengers due to travel were still being asked to check in before their flight closure time.
A Heathrow spokesman said: “Wintery weather is forecast for Heathrow and the UK starting Friday morning and continuing over the weekend. Please allow extra time for your journey and check the status of your flight with your airline before travelling to the airport.”

more....................................

http://www.travelweekly.co.uk/Articl...services.html?

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One runway closed at Heathrow Airport

Heathrow Airport has closed its northern runway for snow clearing and is currently operating on a single runway.

The process normally takes around 45 minutes. The second runway will need to be cleared at some point today but an exact time has not been scheduled.

Passengers are advised to check the status of their flight with their airline before leaving

http://www.itv.com/news/update/2013-01-18/one-runway-closed-at-heathrow-airport/?

Flights cancelled at Heathrow due to 'knock-on effect

http://www.itv.com/news/update/2013-01-18/flights-cancelled-at-heathrow-due-to-knock-on-effect/?

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UK snow: interactive map

Check which airports are closed, where major incidents are happening and view our readers' pictures of the snow with our interactive map. Includes Met Office weather warnings to help you prepare for the weather.

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http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/interactive-graphics/9811357/UK-snow-interactive-map.html#

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Euro weather cause death, havoc

Extreme winter weather swept across western Europe Saturday, leaving thousands of passengers stranded at London's main international airport and claiming several lives in Spain, Portugal and France, including those of three Mali-bound soldiers.

The frigid temperatures also caused delays and cancellations on major railway lines including the Eurostar train service, and transport authorities warned of further traffic disruptions with more blizzards forecast for Sunday.

In London, thousands of passengers were forced to camp out on the floors of Heathrow Airport overnight as hundreds of flights to and from the British capital were cancelled.

"There are lots of bodies lying around in the airport. If feels like there's been a natural disaster," Jerry Meng from Los Angeles, whose flight to New York was cancelled, told British broadcaster BBC.

London's other main airports, Gatwick and Stansted, managed to operate fairly normally Saturday.

For Sunday, the snow is expected to cause a 20-percent traffic reduction at Heathrow, and French air traffic authorities have ordered a 40 percent cut in take-offs and landings at Paris' Charles De Gaulle and Orly airports.

The snow and ice covering large parts of France led to several fatal car crashes, one of which killed three French soldiers about to join comrades fighting in Mali, authorities said.

The troops were travelling in an army car with their military packs and weapons when their vehicle crashed in an accident involving two trucks and two cars.

In total, six people were killed on French roads Saturday, and the nation's weather services have forecast more snow across the northern and southeastern parts of the country over the weekend.

The cold spell also led to power outages, particularly in Northern Ireland where at least 900 homes were without electricity Saturday.

In southern Europe, the fierce weather claimed several lives, killing two men in Spain as a the force of the winds whipping the country's south-eastern coast caused a wall to collapse on them in the city of Cartagena.

Spain's National rail operator ADIF said wind damage forced delays to high-speed trains linking Madrid with the major cities of Seville and Valencia.

The country's interior ministry issued an alert for the weekend, warning of snow and rain storms nationwide with winds up to 100 kilometres per hour (62 mph) and rough seas in the Mediterranean.

In Portugal, an elderly man was killed after strong winds hurled him into a door in the central municipality of Abrantes, leaving him with deadly head injuries. Two teenagers were hospitalised after a chimney collapsed in Agualva, in the Lisbon suburbs.

The Portugese meteorological institute has issued the highest weather alert for six of its 18 districts. According to rescue services, some 3,900 weather-related incidents were reported in Portugal between Friday morning and noon Saturday.

Some welcomed the icy spell.

In Russia, thousands of Orthodox devotees braved the cold weather and plunged into holes cut into frozen rivers and ponds to celebrate the annual holiday of the Epiphany.

http://news.iafrica.com/worldnews/837635.html

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Airports: Latest news on delays and cancellations

Most airports in the UK and Republic of Ireland are advising passengers to check with their airline before leaving, although most are operational.

Here is the latest information from their Twitter feeds:

Heathrow - Around 240 flights cancelled. Operating a revised schedule.
Gatwick - Operating as normal
Stansted - Operating as normal
Luton - Operating as normal
London City - First flight is 12:30
Manchester - Small number of cancellations due to conditions at other airports
Southend - Dublin arrivals and departures cancelled
Birmingham - Operating as normal
Belfast - Operating as normal
Dublin - A number of cancellations
Blackpool - Operating as normal
Southampton - No significant delays

http://www.itv.com/news/update/2013-01-20/airports-latest-news-on-delays-and-cancellations/?