Britannia Radio

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  DECEMBER 21, 2010, 9:22 P.M. ET

EU Blasts 'Unacceptable' Airport Chaos

By STEVE MCGRATH,MATTHEW DALTON And KIRSTEN BIENK

AFP/Getty Images

A worker operates a snow plough near the second runway in an attempt to get it operational again at London's Heathrow Airport on Tuesday.

The European Commission on Tuesday criticized airport operators in western Europe for being ill-prepared to cope with bad weather as snow, ice and freezing temperatures continued to hamper road, rail and air networks for a fourth day, threatening Christmas plans for millions of travellers.

London and Frankfurt airports are filled with thousands of stranded passengers as winter weather worsens. Video courtesy of Reuters.

Amid growing criticism of how airports and other transport operators were handling the snow and ice, Siim Kallas, the commission's transport-policy chief, said the European Union's executive arm may draft new rules if airport operators can't voluntarily take action to plan better for severe weather.

"I am extremely concerned about the level of disruption to travel across Europe caused by severe snow," Mr. Kallas said. "It is unacceptable and should not happen again."

Mr. Kallas said he plans to meet with airport companies in coming days to discuss the situation.

The commission's intervention comes as northern Europe's busiest airports continued to struggle with the weather conditions, with thousands more flights cancelled. The Association of European Airlines, a Brussels-based trade group, said about 10,000 flights had been cancelled between Friday and midday Monday, disrupting travel for about 800,000 passengers. It was unable to provide more up-to-date figures.

Further flights were cancelled Tuesday at Europe's three busiest airports—London Heathrow, Paris Charles de Gaulle and Frankfurt—as well as at smaller airports across the U.K. and Germany, in particular. In Ireland, Dublin airport said it was halting all flights until 5 p.m. local time (12 p.m. ET) due to ice on the runway.

Weather-related problems have already cost Air France-KLM between €25 million ($32.8 million) and €35 million this winter, the airline said.

Frankfurt was worst hit Tuesday as heavy snowfall and freezing temperatures severely disrupted air traffic in Germany with some flights cancelled or delayed for hours. Frankfurt airport had to close for three hours in the early morning and airport operator Fraport AG said it expected about 340 of the scheduled 1,300 takeoffs and landings to be cancelled. German airlines and airport operators said they were busy trying to keep runways clear of snow, were deicing aircraft and were supplying stranded passengers with drinks, snacks and accommodation.

Authorities were also trying to help relieve the situation, with the U.K. relaxing night-flight restrictions and Germany considering a similar move. The U.K. government also is offering Heathrow operator BAA Airports Ltd. help from the British army.

However, transport operators in western Europe were being asked why they struggled to keep networks running through sporadic snow storms when Scandinavian countries can handle much longer periods of harsh winter weather.

Experts say the certain nature of Scandinavian winters means the countries there have invested more in equipment to keep transport networks running, and airports in the region are also less busy and have more time to spend on snow clearance between flights. They also point out that western Europe has had a couple of decades of mild winters and the weather this December has been the worst since the early 1980s.

Politicians and airports are already reacting. U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron said the winter weather was extreme and the country looked to be heading for the coldest December for a century, but the government was working hard to clear roads and get planes flying.

On the problems faced by London's Heathrow airport, he said even the harshest critics of airport operator BAA would concede that extensive disruption was understandable given the heavy snowfalls. "But if it is understandable that Heathrow had to close briefly, I'm frustrated on behalf of all those affected that it's taking so long for the situation to improve," he added.

Mr. Cameron said there had been "intensive discussions" between the transport minister and BAA about how to ensure that normal service at Heathrow resumes as soon as possible, and he expected the airport's second runway to be reopened later Tuesday.

U.K. Transport Secretary Philip Hammond on Monday asked the government's chief scientific adviser to research whether the country might expect more severe winters in coming years and whether the country should invest more in equipment to keep infrastructure running.

London's Gatwick airport, which was badly hit by snow Saturday and has suffered delays and cancellations since, has said it will invest £8 million ($12.4 million) more on snow-clearing equipment, doubling its number of snow-clearing vehicles to 95 from 47. BAA has also pledged to spend more on snow-clearing equipment at Heathrow.

The continuing chaos was also affecting road and rail networks Tuesday. German rail operator Deutsche Bahn AG said it had to apply speed restrictions due to ice and its carriages were crammed as travellers unable to fly or drive to their destinations instead took the train. Train lines in the U.K. were also hit by ice, and the Eurostar service between London and European cities including Brussels and Paris continued to suffer long delays.

—Hilde Messer contributed to this article.