Dubai: British Prime Minister David Cameron said yesterday he had offered to use the military to help resolve the chaos at Heathrow as air travel disruptions in and out of Europe continued for a fourth day.
Heavy snowfall in Frankfurt forced the airport to close. Etihad diverted its Dubai-Frankfurt flight to Munich, from where passengers were transported to the original destination by train, an airline spokesperson told Gulf News.
Europe's third-busiest airport also caused other flights to be diverted. German Weather Service said that northern parts of the country would receive as much as 10 centimetres of fresh snow during the day.
Lufthansa said earlier yesterday that long-haul flights from Frankfurt were scheduled to operate from 1pm local time but cautioned passengers of continued disruptions.
Half capacity
London Heathrow was operating at half its capacity with its second runway shut to allow snow to be cleared. Tens of thousands of travellers stranded during the Christmas season have been trying to get home.
"We operated two relief flights to Heathrow and Manchester to pick up the backlog and now we are running on schedule," an Etihad spokesperson said. No extra flights were operated yesterday as the airline's passenger backlog has been cleared.
Emirates said in a statement that its UK flights are running "as close to schedule as possible" and so are those from the rest of Europe.
From London Gatwick and London City, BA said it expects to operate the majority of its flights but may face some delays.
"With the second runway at the airport not being available due to the continuing poor weather, we have had to make a significant number of cancellations," British Airways said in a statement on its website.
Britain will ask its chief scientific adviser if blizzards that began last month, coupled with the worst cold snap in two decades last winter, provides evidence for a "step change" that would justify increased spending on cold-weather gear, Transport Secretary Philip Hammond said yesterday.
