© 2025
NPR News, Colorado Stories
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

'Havoc' Continues In Europe As Snow Snarls Travel

Passengers wait for flights in the check-in area of London's Terminal 3 at Heathrow Airport on Dec. 20, 2010.
Peter Macdiarmid
/
Getty Images
Passengers wait for flights in the check-in area of London's Terminal 3 at Heathrow Airport on Dec. 20, 2010.
The statue of former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill in London.
Leon Neal / AFP/Getty Images
/
AFP/Getty Images
The statue of former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill in London.

There are "travelers" (a word that doesn't quite apply, as you'll see) who are about to spend a third night camped out in London's Heathrow airport because brutal winter weather across much of Europe continues to disrupt air travel.

From London, NPR's Philip Reeves says "this havoc is expected to continue for a while" and that "other parts of Europe are also being badly hit." More flights are being canceled in Paris and Frankfurt:

The Guardianwarns that "transport chaos may continue until Christmas as snow returns to U.K."

It says that airport authorities said:

"The scale of clearing tonnes of snow and ice from runways and plane stands at Heathrow was such that it would not be completed before Wednesday morning. Until then, no more than a third of flights would operate, 'and passengers should anticipate further delays and cancellations in the following days – and potentially beyond Christmas Day,' an airport statement warned."

The BBC reports that forecasters are warning "of more snow and ice in parts of the U.K. overnight."

And the BBC says "departures from Brussels airport were to be cancelled until Wednesday due to a lack of de-icing liquid."

Philip will have more later today on  All Things ConsideredClick here to find an NPR station that broadcasts or streams the show.

Copyright 2020 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

A couple ride a sled at a snow-covered park in Zehlendorf district on Dec. 18, 2010 in Berlin, Germany.
Sean Gallup / Getty Images
/
Getty Images
A couple ride a sled at a snow-covered park in Zehlendorf district on Dec. 18, 2010 in Berlin, Germany.

Mark Memmott is NPR's supervising senior editor for Standards & Practices. In that role, he's a resource for NPR's journalists – helping them raise the right questions as they do their work and uphold the organization's standards.