PARIS, Feb 23: Heavy winter snow on Wednesday created hazardous travel conditions across much of Europe, forcing the cancellation of dozens of flights and bringing traffic to a standstill on main roads.
Passengers and commuters found themselves stuck in France, Germany, Britain and parts of Spain and Italy as snow coated everything in white, the result of a cold snap that was forecast to continue for the next few days.
Paris's two principal airports of Orly and Charles de Gaulle were only partially open, the state management company Aero ports de Paris said, adding that the few flights taking off were being delayed by at least an hour.
Charles de Gaulle would be back to normal service later in the day following runway clearing operations, it said. Road traffic in and around the French capital was severely hampered during morning rush hour, with officials calling on drivers to pull over or not take to the highways until conditions improved.
Almost all of Germany was snowbound, the weather service Meteomedia said. Minor road accidents were reported in many areas, causing at least five injuries. In the north of the country, school buses were unable to pick up pupils.
Stuttgart airport announced that the "extreme" conditions had forced it to cancel or delay its flights, while rail traffic was similarly disrupted. Switzerland was also confronted with traffic accidents and delays at Zurich airport, as well as fears that the growing piles of snow were increasingly becoming avalanche risks.
In Britain, the weather service said much of England and Wales would continue to see snow falls and it warned that conditions were "hazardous" for driving. Reports said London-bound train services were suspended in some cases and were blocked around the capital.
Europe's more southern countries did not escape the adverse weather. In Italy, authorities closed part of the main highway linking Rome and Milan. Snow and rain also posed dangers to motorists heading to or from Naples, while ferries using that southern port city were kept in harbour.
Rome itself suffered heavy rain and hail, and strong winds there caused flight delays at its airports and some aircraft had to be re routed to other destinations.
In Spain, icy roads and limited visibility created massive traffic jams many kilometres (miles) long on major roads, while at Madrid airport workers had to sweep a thick layer of snow off planes and the tarmac.
Cancellations or delays of up to four hours affected flights in Spain, including the plane carrying Jordanian King Abdullah II from Madrid to Paris on an official visit, which took off nearly an hour late. -AFP
