News Beat
Thousands of tourists stranded in Lapland as flights to UK cancelled over extreme cold
EXTREME cold has grounded numerous flights and left thousands of tourists stranded in Lapland.
Temperatures have reached a staggering -35C at Finland’s Kittila airport causing flights to London, Bristol, Manchester, Paris and Amsterdam to be cancelled.
During winter months, travellers head to northern Finland to enjoy the snowy wonderland and marvel at the aurora.
But following severe sub zero temperatures, tourists have been forced to stay put in the Artic region.
These freezing conditions make it difficult to de-ice planes – an important process to ensure the aircraft is safe to fly.
It can also cause refuelling and maintenance equipment to freeze on the ground prior to taking off.
Lapland’s weather is expected to get even colder tomorrow with Finland’s meteorological agency predicting temperatures of -39C.
This is a particularly harsh winter for the area which usually experiences an average winter temperature of -14C with only occasional dips to -30C.
For tourists staying in nearby ski resorts, Kittila airport is the nearest commercial air station.
And for those wanting to visit Santa Claus’ home, an inbound flight to Rovaniemi will get you the closest according to local folklore.
Flights were cancelled in and out of Kittila on Friday and Saturday, with one flight out of Rovaniemi cancelled on Sunday.
Finland’s airport operator, Finavia, told Finnish broadcasting company Yle that moisture in the air was exacerbating the situation by creating slippery frost.
This has also made roads dangerous with Fintraffic, the country’s traffic control service, warning of icy conditions in the region.
A bus full of Ukrainian passengers crashed into a ditch this morning, but thankfully no serious injuries have been reported.
The uncharacteristically cold weather is a result of a storm that’s passing over norther Europe, which has caused temperatures to drop and travel disruptions in France, Germany, and the UK.
Brits are dealing with the dire effects of storm Goretti, with fallen trees crushing houses and cars, and road vehicles facing treacherous conditions.
Police said a man in his 50s was found dead in a caravan after a tree fell on to the vehicle in Helston, Cornwall.
Emergency services were called to the scene on Thursday evening and work took place on Friday to remove the tree.
The Met Office have issued an amber warning for more snow, adding there is a risk of heavy rain, strong winds and flooding.
It comes after the storm brought gusts of almost 100mph and a rare red warning for “dangerous, stormy” winds in the South West was issued by forecasters earlier this week.
