Freezing rain and ice disrupt travel across central and eastern Europe

Dubai: Freezing rain caused widespread travel disruptions across Central Europe on Tuesday, forcing the temporary suspension of flights at several major airports and disrupting rail and road traffic as a severe winter spell tightened its grip on the region.

A thick layer of ice led to a temporary shutdown at Vienna International Airport, with flights gradually resuming around midday. Incoming aircraft were diverted to airports including Munich, Frankfurt, Cologne and Venice, while departures faced delays, airport officials said.

Austria’s state railway operator ÖBB urged passengers to postpone non-essential travel, warning of delays and cancellations across northern and eastern parts of the country, including Vienna.

In Slovakia, Bratislava airport was briefly closed early Tuesday due to hazardous weather conditions. Slovak police advised the public to avoid travel, citing “extreme” ice and snow in western regions.

Icy weather disrupts travel

• Airports affected

• Budapest (Hungary): Flights temporarily halted; operations resumed

• Bratislava (Slovakia): Airport briefly closed due to ice; flights restarted

• Vienna (Austria): Runways iced over; flights diverted, delays continue

• Prague (Czech Republic): Operations briefly restricted due to freezing rain

• What happened

• Freezing rain formed thick ice on runways, repeatedly refreezing

• An Ethiopian Airlines cargo plane slipped off a taxiway in Budapest while taxiing; no injuries reported

• Weather conditions forced temporary closures and widespread delays

• Weather outlook

• Snow and freezing rain affecting parts of Central and Eastern Europe

• Icy conditions expected to return overnight despite daytime improvement in some areas

• Further disruption possible midweek, especially across eastern Europe

• What is freezing rain?

• A rare form of liquid precipitation that freezes instantly on contact

• Creates severe ice hazards on roads, runways and pavements

Weather conditions also disrupted transport in the Czech Republic, where icy roads and rail lines slowed traffic. Prague airport was brought nearly to a halt as firefighters worked to de-ice runways. Emergency services said around 50 people were treated for injuries linked to the icy conditions.

In Hungary, authorities shut Budapest’s Ferenc Liszt International Airport after black ice and extreme icing halted all arrivals and departures. Earlier in the day, an Ethiopian Airlines cargo aircraft slid off the runway while taxiing and came to rest on grass; no injuries were reported, and the incident is under investigation.

Hungarian officials also reported drift ice on the Danube and Tisza rivers, prompting icebreakers to be placed on alert. Lake Balaton, in western Hungary, has frozen — a relatively rare occurrence seen about once every 10 to 15 years — though authorities warned the ice remains too thin for skating.

Rail connections

Rail and public transport services were also affected across the region. In Budapest, tram services were disrupted by ice accumulation, while numerous national and international rail connections were cancelled or delayed.

In the Czech Republic, authorities said passengers faced hours-long delays at Prague’s main railway station, and the D8 highway to Germany was closed following an accident on the German side. Parts of eastern Germany also reported hazardous icy road conditions.

Further east, Romania continued to face heavy snowfall, with temperatures forecast to drop as low as minus 13 degrees Celsius in some areas, forcing several schools to shift to online classes.

Meteorological services warned that winter conditions were likely to persist, with significant snowfall expected in eastern areas of the region and freezing rain forecast farther west, raising the risk of further disruptions.