Europe on ice

A snow plough clears the taxi ways after heavy snowfall at Heathrow Airport. -- PHOTO: AP

LONDON - HEAVY snow continued to disrupt European air travel over the weekend and stranded hundreds of drivers in their cars, as a frosty Christmas appeared increasingly likely for many places.

Britain was hit by more blizzards that shut its biggest airports on the busiest weekend for travellers before Christmas, as well as hindered road and rail traffic.

London's Heathrow, the world's busiest international passenger airport, did not accept any arrivals yesterday and was allowing only a handful of departures after snow and ice forced the closure of runways, a statement on its website said. But it was preparing for a full re-opening today, it added.

It also said several hundred workers were doing their best 'to keep passengers in the terminal as warm and as comfortable as possible while we do everything we can to get Heathrow moving'.

London's other airport at Gatwick said it was providing beds and cots, distributing thousands of blankets, bottles of water and food, and making showers and washing facilities available free of charge.

At Frankfurt Airport, Germany's biggest, more than 500 flights were cancelled yesterday out of a planned total of 1,330 departures and arrivals.