Hundreds of flights cancelled as Istanbul hit by heavy snow

Flights in and out of Istanbul have been cancelled for New Year's Eve and New Year's Day.

Snow Istanbul

Heavy snow in Istanbul has seen the cancellation of hundreds of flights. Source: EPA

Hundreds of flights in and out of Turkey were cancelled for Thursday and Friday at Istanbul's two airports after the city was blanketed by heavy snow, which also forced the closure of schools and brought chaos to the roads.

Turkish Airlines canceled 265 flights in and out of the main Ataturk airport and 37 at Sabiha Gokcen, Istanbul's second airport. Budget airline Pegasus said it had canceled 34 flights arriving or departing from Sabiha Gokcen.

On Wednesday, city authorities said they had more than 1,000 vehicles and heavy machinery ready to keep roads open, but warned residents against all but essential travel. More snowfall is forecast for much of Thursday.

Ferries across the Bosphorus Strait bisecting Europe's largest city were disrupted but the waterway, the only maritime outlet for Russian oil and other commodities from the Black Sea, remained open to shipping.


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Source: Reuters


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Hundreds of flights cancelled as Istanbul hit by heavy snow | SBS News