Passengers have told of their frustration after flights were halted at Manchester Airport due to the snow.
Both runways at the airport were temporarily closed earlier to remove snow and slush from the ground. This meant that both inbound and outbound flights were disrupted, with some cancelled while others were delayed.
The airport said that health and safety was the 'top priority' as they apologised for the delays. They added that the runways were cleared on Friday, but that more heavy snow than fell which needed clearing.
READ MORE: Runway reopens at Manchester Airport after heavy snow causes chaos
But some passengers jetting in or out of Manchester were left frustrated, claiming that the snow on the ground that had halted operations was 'no more than a centimetre'. Nathan Stacey was due to fly to Finland with his children this morning, but said the flight was delayed due to the runway closures.
He added that the snow was 'so slight' he was surprised to see the disruption. He tweeted a picture of his kids looking out onto the runway and wrote: "This is the ‘heavy snowfall’ stopping the kids going to Lapland. Honestly no more than a centimetre."
Speaking to the Manchester Evening News , he added: "We travelled up from Bristol last night, stayed in the Hilton at the airport. Got the kids up early for a surprise and made the airport at 6.50pm.
"The snow is so slight we were surprised to see flight delayed. We eventually made it on the plane for 11.40, heading off fairly soon.
"The kids were gutted for the delay, but hopefully they get the chance to see Santa after all."
Laura Hawksworth said she was due to fly from Heathrow to Manchester this morning, but said she ended up being stuck on the plane on the runway for two hours. Her flight was then cancelled.
She told the M.E.N : "My flight from Heathrow to Manchester boarded at 8am but we sat on the runway for over two hours before we were told the flight was now cancelled because of the snow. I still can’t work out why the airports don’t plan for extreme weather better as this seems to happen every year."
She said she had been offered an alternative flight for tomorrow. In a tweet, she said: "Flight from London Heathrow to Manchester Airport has been sat on the runway for almost two hours.
"Why is the country never prepared for weather extremes? It happens every bloody year. It’s beyond a joke."
On Twitter, another passenger Chloe said she also got 'stuck on a plane'. She said: "Currently stuck on a plane at Manchester Airport because they’ve closed the runway due to some snow…I mean I’m all for being safe but how can we not cope with this weather?"
In the latest update, an airport spokesperson said that a total of 36 inbound flights have either been cancelled or diverted so far today. Fifteen outbound flights have been cancelled.
At around 11.30am, the airport said that Runway 1 had been reopened. Runway 2 remains closed with delays expected to continue.
A Manchester Airport spokesperson said: "In anticipation of adverse weather forecast for this weekend, snow clearing teams have been on site since Friday. Both runways were fully cleared and treated ahead of this morning’s first scheduled flight.
"Health and safety is our top priority and when snow on the airfield reaches a particular depth, it must be cleared before operations can continue. Once this morning’s flying programme was underway, there was a fresh period of heavy snowfall, which required further clearing to take place.
"The decision was therefore made to temporarily close airfield operations from 07.45 to 11.30 whilst clearing could take place to return to safe levels. We apologise to all affected passengers for any inconvenience and thank them for their patience."
Earlier this morning, the airport tweeted: "Due to heavy snow fall, we have temporary closed both runways. Health and safety will always be our top priority and operations will resume at the earliest opportunity.
"Passengers are advised to contact their airline for the most up-to-date flight information."
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