By IANS/EFE,
Madrid : The storm currently sweeping Spain with snow and fog has forced the cancellation of 166 flights at Madrid’s Barajas International Airport and delays of up to six hours on other flights.
The airport’s four runways were operational, though the accumulation of ice slowed down the work of ground crews, airport authorities said Monday.
The airports and civil aviation agency said that following the low temperatures and snowstorm Sunday, it is essential to de-ice planes before each takeoff, an operation that for large aircraft can take up to an hour while it takes up to 20 minutes for smaller planes.
It said that the problems caused by the storm at Barajas come on top of those suffered by European air traffic due to the bad weather in Britain, France, Germany, Portugal, Belgium and Italy.
Airport flight notices show delays of between two to six hours, including for some planes headed for Latin America.
Iberia cancelled 120 of the 744 flights scheduled for Monday and Spanair 14 of its 90 programmed routes.
The storm has also blocked several highways in Spain, where 18 provinces are on the alert for freezing temperatures and snowfall.