Simple Flying - Joanna Bailey

Unexpectedly extreme weather has caused chaos in the eastern Mediterranean this week. Since the weekend, deep snowfall has seen Turkey’s largest and newest airport in Istanbul grinding to a halt. Passengers are reporting being stuck in the airport for more than 30 hours, and the roof of a cargo building has collapsed under the weight of the fallen snow.

As you might expect, the disruption has hit the airports too. Videos posted online of the wintry conditions in Turkey’s biggest airport look more like Siberia than Istanbul, illustrating the challenging conditions being experienced at the facility.

Unsurprisingly, flights to and from the airport were halted, with a complete stop occurring at around 18:00 local time yesterday. National carrier Turkish Airlines suspended all flights until this morning. In total, Turkish has canceled 36 flights so far at Istanbul, and 31 at Sabiha Gokcen, the city’s second airport. Low-cost Pegasus has said it has canceled more than 50 flights.

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