Winter storm snarls transport in Spain
December 22nd, 2009 - 12:21 pm ICT by IANSMadrid, Dec 22 (EFE) The wave of cold weather in Spain and the heavy snowfall Monday in Madrid caused numerous flights to be cancelled and traffic jams on some roads in the Spanish capital.
At dawn Madrid airport was covered in snow with two runways closed and with operations delayed principally because of “poor visibility”, said officials at AENA, the agency that manages Spain’s airports.
AENA announced that 223 flights had been cancelled up to 3 p.m. leaving thousands of passengers waiting on land with a mixture of patience and anger at the consequences of the storms affecting 37 Spanish provinces.
Notice boards for passengers showed delays of between five and seven hours for some flights with postponements affecting all airlines.
Madrid Barajas International Airport had 1,165 arrivals and departures scheduled for Monday.
The storm also affected travel on the high-speed trains connecting Madrid with the cities of Malaga, Seville and Barcelona, though their operations have gradually been restored.
Highway traffic was also affected on roads into Madrid and in certain provinces.
- 166 flights cancelled in Madrid due to snow - Jan 12, 2010
- Spain cancels plan to privatise airports - Jan 24, 2012
- Snow and ice blanket Britain - Feb 05, 2012
- Spanish military takes over air traffic control after strike - Dec 04, 2010
- Pilot arrested in Madrid for smuggling cocaine - Aug 24, 2011
- Spanish airline to cease operations - Jan 28, 2012
- Dust storm blinds Pakistan provinces - Mar 20, 2012
- Aeromexico makes first biofuel trans-Atlantic flight - Aug 03, 2011
- Biting cold thaws a little, but fog disrupts travel (Roundup) - Dec 20, 2011
- Minneapolis Airport Closed After Blizzard Onslaught - Dec 12, 2010
- Fog disrupts flights in China - Jan 31, 2012
- Dense fog affects road, rail, air traffic (Lead) - Dec 30, 2011
- Trains, flights disrupted as fog blinds Delhi (Second Lead) - Dec 30, 2011
- Volcanic ash cloud grounds 1,000 flights in Europe (Second Lead) - May 17, 2010
- Snowstorms effect: New Year plans take a hit (Roundup) - Dec 29, 2010
Tags: arrivals and departures, barajas international airport, cold weather, heavy snowfall, high speed trains, highway traffic, madrid airport, madrid barajas international airport, monday in madrid, numerous flights, poor visibility, postponements, runways, seven hours, snarls, spanish capital, spanish provinces, traffic jams, weather in spain, winter storm