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Heavy snowfall forces Marseille airport closure grounding flights
Heavy snowfall in Marseille forced the international airport to close and paralysed all train and bus traffic yesterday in France's second-biggest city.
- Reuters
- Published: 23:38 January 7, 2009
Marseille, France: Heavy snowfall in Marseille forced the international airport to close and paralysed all train and bus traffic yesterday in France's second-biggest city.
The usually busy and sunny Mediterranean port city ground to a halt as snow overwhelmed infrastructure and stopped school buses and all other public transport.
"The weather conditions no longer allow air traffic to take place in satisfactory conditions so the airport of Marseille Province is closed to air traffic," a spokesman said.
The airport was expected to remain closed at least until today, management said.
France is experiencing a cold weather snap that has gradually moved from north to south. Electricity consumption has hit record levels as families turn up home heating.
Rail, road and air traffic have been disrupted for several days, notably at the Charles de Gaulle airport.
Secretary of State for Transport Dominique Bussereau yesterday demanded an investigation into "unacceptable" chaos at the airport, where hundreds of flights were cancelled this week.
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