Paris Charles De Gaulle Cuts Flights 35% on Shortage of De-Icing Chemical
Paris’s Charles de Gaulle airport, Europe’s second busiest, will cut flights by 35 percent for the rest of the day because of a shortage of antifreeze, used to remove ice from aircraft wings, and forecasts for more bad weather.
The airport faces “problems in supply of antifreeze liquid for planes,” French DGAC civil-aviation authority said in an e- mailed statement. The airport had already reduced flights before 1 p.m. by 50 percent. An emergency shipment of de-icing fluid was flown in from the U.S., the Associated Press reported.
Major U.K. airports and Frankfurt were operating near- normal services after snowstorms and cold weather caused travel disruption across Europe in the lead-up to the Christmas holidays.
Air France has cancelled “many” short and medium-haul flights from Charles de Gaulle today, according to its website. Long-haul flights and services from Orly are unaffected, the airport said.
Heathrow, Gatwick, Glasgow and Edinburgh airports are all open, according to their websites. They all said that passengers should expect some knock-on delays and cancellations as a result of the recent weather conditions.
British Airways Plc, the U.K.’s biggest carrier, plans to fly all scheduled long-haul flights out of Heathrow today, and most inbound long-haul services, according to a statement on its website. The carrier is also hiring planes and putting larger aircraft on European routes to move more passengers, it said.
Eurostar ‘Near Normal’
The U.K. will likely experience “very cold” weather, with snowstorms mostly confined to the east and west coasts, according to a Met Office forecast.
Eurostar Group Ltd., the operator of trains through the Channel Tunnel, said on its website that it’s planning to operate a “near normal” service. Only passengers with valid tickets for travel should go to the station, it said.
Fraport AG, operator of the Frankfurt airport, said on its website that the situation has “improved significantly,” allowing it to offer travelers normal pre-night check-in.
Deutsche Lufthansa AG, Germany’s biggest carrier, ran a regular schedule at Frankfurt yesterday, it said on its website. The carrier is running all scheduled flights, aside from a few weather-related exceptions.
To contact the reporter on this story: Blanche Gatt in London at bgatt@bloomberg.net; Fabio Benedetti-Valentini in Paris at fabiobv@bloomberg.net.
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Neil Denslow at ndenslow@bloomberg.net
Paris Charles de Gaulle Cuts Flights 50% on Antifreeze Short
Bertrand Langlois/AFP/Getty Images
The airport hasn’t got enough glycol liquid, France’s Ministry of Ecology, Sustainable Development, Transport and Lodging said in an e-mailed statement late yesterday.
The airport hasn’t got enough glycol liquid, France’s Ministry of Ecology, Sustainable Development, Transport and Lodging said in an e-mailed statement late yesterday. Photographer: Bertrand Langlois/AFP/Getty Images
Dec. 21 (Bloomberg) -- Snow snarled train services as well as airlines for a fourth day in Europe as travelers tried to get home for the Christmas and New Year holidays. Heavy snow forced London’s Gatwick airport to stop outbound flights until 6 a.m. U.K. time, according to the airport’s website. Paris’s Roissy-Charles de Gaulle and Orly airports were set to begin the day with at least 28 canceled flights before 7 a.m., data tracker FlightStats.com said. U.S. carriers waived fees as more snow was forecast for England, France and Germany. Bloomberg's Nicole Itano reports from London. (Source: Bloomberg)
Paris Airport Cuts Flights 50% on Antifreeze Shortage
Miguel Medina/AFP/Getty Images
Passengers sleep in camp beds at Charles de Gaulle airport as French aviation authorities cancel flights.
Passengers sleep in camp beds at Charles de Gaulle airport as French aviation authorities cancel flights. Photographer: Miguel Medina/AFP/Getty Images
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