Icy conditions have led to the closure of airports in four major central European cities, resulting in significant travel disruptions. Budapest in Hungary, Vienna in Austria, Bratislava in Slovakia, and Prague in the Czech Republic all temporarily shut down on Tuesday morning due to freezing weather.
Budapest Airport announced on Facebook that it would halt arrivals and departures starting at 10.25 am local time (9.25 am GMT) due to black ice. Hungary issued freezing rain and snow warnings, with drift ice forming on the Danube and Tisza rivers. Additionally, Lake Balaton in the western part of the country has frozen, a rare event occurring once every 10 to 15 years.
Vienna International Airport also closed as a thick layer of ice developed on its runways, repeatedly freezing despite clearance efforts. Flights were redirected to other airports, and Austria’s state railway company OeBB advised passengers to delay non-essential trips due to service disruptions and cancellations.
In neighboring Slovakia, Bratislava Airport shut down due to snow and ice, with warnings of black ice in western areas and heavy snow in central and northern regions. Both Vienna and Bratislava airports were set to resume operations later in the morning.
Prague Airport reported operating in a very limited capacity, indicating that intense freezing rain necessitated restrictions on arrivals for de-icing of runways, taxiways, and aircraft stands, causing flight delays throughout the day.
Meanwhile, thousands of tourists found themselves stranded in northern Finland on Sunday as flights were canceled due to extreme cold. Temperatures at Kittilä Airport dropped to -37°C on Sunday morning, posing challenges for aircraft de-icing efforts, as reported by Finland’s public broadcaster Yle.