Airports close and flights disrupted across Europe due to icy weather

Airports have been forced to close and flights have been disrupted in parts of Europe due to icy weather.

Airports in Budapest in Hungary, Bratislava in Slovakia and Vienna in Austria all had to temporarily shut on Tuesday morning because of the conditions.

A thick layer of ice had formed on runways in Vienna and, despite efforts to clear it, continued to refreeze, a spokesperson for the airport said.

Flights were being diverted to other airports, they added.

Flight departures in Vienna were set to resume from 11am ‌local time (10am in the UK) and arrivals from noon (11am in the UK).

Freezing rain had left Prague Airport in the Czech Republic operating in a "very limited mode", according to a message ‌on its X ⁠account.

Delays were expected throughout the day, and arrivals were being limited as staff worked to de-ice the main runway, it added.

Icy conditions also forced Bratislava Airport to close temporarily, although flights were expected to resume later in the day.

Budapest Airport also halted flights due to weather-related safety concerns.

"Due to black ice and extreme icing, Ferenc Liszt International Airport (Budapest) is temporarily not receiving and launching flights since 10.25am (9.25am in the UK) for safety reasons," the airport said in a statement shared on social media.

The airport said that during the course of the morning, the nose gear of an Ethiopian Airlines cargo plane "slipped off the paved surface of a taxiway onto the grass while taxiing, causing the aircraft to become stuck".

"The investigation into the circumstances of the incident is currently ongoing, and the airport operator, in cooperation with the competent authorities, is doing everything possible to free the aircraft," it added.

Budapest Airport said it will continue to provide updates and urged passengers to check its online platforms for the latest information.

A weather system spreading across central and eastern Europe has brought snow and freezing rain, leading to widespread icy conditions and disruption.

"Tuesday sees the wintry mix of weather affecting parts of Poland, Slovakia, Hungary and Romania, with icy conditions likely to bring further travel disruption to roads and airports," the Sky News weather team said.

The Czech Republic and Austria should see some improvement, with drier conditions and temperatures climbing a little above freezing by day for Prague and Vienna, they said.

"That said, there'll be icy conditions again overnight."

Further north, there will be some heavy snow for the south of Norway and Sweden on Tuesday, which may also lead to some disruption, the Sky weather team said.

Meanwhile, to the southeast, parts of Turkey will see significant snow, which will extend into Armenia, Azerbaijan, Iran and Iraq.

"The milder air will try and take over more of Europe over the next few days, but eastern parts are likely to hold on to the freezing conditions, with further wintry hazards on Wednesday, especially across an area from Sweden and eastern Poland down to Romania."

Thursday and Friday look mainly dry for eastern Europe, they added.

In the UK, the Met Office has issued a yellow warning for ice covering much of western and northern Scotland from 8pm on Tuesday to 10am on Wednesday.

Elsewhere in the UK, a number of flood alerts and flood warnings are in place in the aftermath of Storm Goretti.

A yellow weather warning for rain has been issued for southwest England on Thursday, raising the risk of further flooding in the region.

The Met Office said the risk of freezing rain - which can create severe ice hazards - is expected to decrease as the day progresses, with snowfall becoming more likely instead.

Freezing rain is a rare form of liquid precipitation that freezes almost instantly on contact with cold surfaces, leading to dangerous icy conditions.