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Snow causes travel chaos in Europe

LONDON: The British capital ground to a halt on Monday after the worst snowstorm in 18 years caused hundreds of flight cancellations and virtually shut down public transportation. Shops, schools and courts shut down and long trails of commuters trudged through the streets, looking for scarce taxis or ways to work after more than 10 centimetres of snow fell overnight.

“We’re not in Russia here,” said a Transport for London spokesman. “We don’t have an infrastructure built for constant snow.”

Heathrow closed one of its two runways and reported more than 650 cancellations. Major delays and cancellations were also reported at Gatwick, Luton and Stansted.

An Airbus 330 coming from Cyprus slid off the taxiway at Heathrow with 104 passengers on board. None was injured. London’s subway network was hit hard because much of the system is above ground. Of some 12 lines, only the Victoria Line was unaffected. Heavy snowfall in France also disrupted traffic and caused delays at Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris. Southeast England was hardest hit with up to 25 centimetres reported in some areas. — AP

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