Travellers are warned that Manchester Airport has closed the majority of their runways due to severe weather sweeping across the city.
The Met Office has issued yellow warnings for snow and ice in the region, cautioning travellers about potential disruptions on roads, railways, and in the air. Manchester Airport took to social media to alert passengers about the current runway closure. Online footage shows vehicles working tirelessly to clear the accumulating snow to resume operations.
In an official statement, the airport said: “Our runways are temporarily closed due to significant levels of snow, as our teams work hard to clear them as quickly as possible.”
(Image: Kenny Brown | Manchester Evening News)
“The safety of our passengers is our top priority, and we appreciate your patience during this time. Please check with your airline for the latest flight information and allow extra travel time today.”
Manchester and the surrounding regions have been under several yellow snow warnings over the past few days. Adding to this, several weather warnings are in place across the country today as well.
In certain areas, temperatures plummeted to as low as -8C. The North West were hit particularly hard, with many other regions thermometers fall below freezing. Met Office forecasters recorded lows of -6C in Glasgow, -2C at Belfast International Airport and a chilly -7C in Sennybridge, in Wales.
This is not the first time Manchester Airport closed runways, with them announcing the same thing on Monday (January 6). At the time, social media users slammed the airport for their decision.
(Image: Paul Hollywood)
One user responded to their announcement on X and slammed the airport as “embarrassing”. Another said: “Entirely unpredictable“. A third user informed other travellers flights were “holding and some heading away to alternate airports.”
Manchester Airport have not provided additional information on what they plan to do with scheduled flights, but encourage travellers to consult their chosen airlines. However, the snow is not expected to stop falling for at least the next 24 hours.
The Met Office’s Christoph Almond, said: “Thursday will see another cold night, with potentially the lowest temperatures of the Winter so far, -15°C – possibly -16°C is likely in locations with lying snow in Scotland or northern England.
“In the early hours of Friday, a front arriving from the west will encounter the cold air in place over the UK. This could bring further sleet or snowfall for some regions in the south and west, as well as a risk of ice for a time as it moves north-eastwards into central parts, but the extent of this is still uncertain.”
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