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Several airports in Europe have been forced to shut and cancel their flights after severe icy weather.
Budapest Airport announced it could 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: ‘Resulting from 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 proceed to offer 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 placed on alert.
Lake Balaton within the west of the country is currently frozen – a comparatively rare phenomenon seen about once every ten to fifteen years.
Nevertheless, authorities warned that the ice continues to be too thin for skating, urging the general 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 each 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 quite a few train connections facing interruptions and cancellations.
Within the Czech Republic, ice was also hampering road and rail traffic.
Prague airport got here to a virtual standstill, with firefighters having to de-ice the runways.
Around 50 people were treated for injuries due to the icy conditions, based on Prague’s emergency services, the CTK news agency reported.
Freezing rain had left Prague Airport operating in a ‘very limited mode’, based on a message on its X account.
Delays were expected through the day and arrivals were being restricted as staff worked to de-ice the major runway, it added.
In neighbouring Slovakia, the Bratislava airport was also closed early Tuesday resulting from bad weather.
Slovak police on Facebook urged people to avoid travel due to ‘extreme’ ice and snow within the west of the country.
What are my rights if my flight has been cancelled?
Within the UK and EU, airlines must take care of you in case your flight is delayed or cancelled. This includes all the pieces from meals and accommodation to an alternate flight if vital.
Citizen’s Advice says that airlines must also give impacted passengers access to phone calls and emails, and, in the event that they give you a spot to remain, organise the journeys between the hotel and the airport.
Sometimes, the airline will cover this by handing you vouchers on the airport. When unsure, keep any receipts for expenses and claim them back afterwards from the airline.
But an airline will only cough up money for ‘reasonable’ expenses.
Should you didn’t book with a UK or EU airline, you’ll need to envision their terms and conditions. Nevertheless, for essentially the most part, airlines should provide meals and accommodation as appropriate.
When am I eligible for this support?
Whether you’re eligible for the above is dependent upon the space of your flight and the way long you have got waited:
- For medium-haul (between 1,500km and three,500km over two to 4 hours), it’s three hours or more.
- For long-haul (greater than 3,500km over 4 hours or more), it’s 4 hours or more.
- For brief-haul (as much as 1,500km over two hours or less), you have to have been waiting for 2 hours or more.
Get in contact with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
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