Travellers stranded as icy conditions close airports across central Europe

Travellers have been left stranded after several airports across Central Europe were affected by icy weather conditions.

Budapest Ferenc Liszt International Airport announced it would temporarily close on Tuesday due to “increased safety risks” caused by black ice and extreme icing.

As a result, all arrivals and departures have been temporarily suspended, the operator said in a statement.

“During the course of the morning, the nose gear of Ethiopian Airlines cargo flight ETH3707 slipped off the paved surface of a taxiway onto the grass while taxiing, causing the aircraft to become stuck,” the airport said.

“The investigation into the circumstances of the incident is currently ongoing.

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“Passengers are requested to monitor the airport’s website and the airlines’ announcements for the latest information on their flights. Thank you for your patience and understanding.”

Vienna International Airport has announced it will resume operations from 11am local time after the icy conditions forced staff to close the airport on Tuesday morning.

A thick layer of ice had formed on runways and kept freezing up again after efforts to clear it, forcing the airport to divert flights to other airports.

Freezing rain also left Prague's Vaclav Havel Airport operating in a "very limited mode", according to a message on its X account.

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

Bratislava's airport was also closed due to weather conditions until 11.15am local time on Tuesday, the airport said on its Facebook account.

On Sunday, thousands of tourists found themselves stranded in northern Finland as extreme cold also forced the cancellation of flights at Kittilä airport, which is located in Finnish Lapland in the sparsely populated north.

The temperature at the airport dropped to minus 37C over the weekend after several days of similar frigid weather, making de-icing of aircraft and other operations difficult, Finland's national public broadcaster Yle reported.

Finns are generally used to frosty winter temperatures, but this year's cold, which has affected wide regions of northern, central and eastern Europe, is more severe than in other years.