Global Warming? Travel chaos as Europe shivers in heavy snowfalls

Katherine Haddon
AFP
Monday, Feb 2, 2009

A blanket of snow covered large parts of western Europe Monday after some of the heaviest falls in two decades, causing major flight cancellations, disrupting public transport and misery on the roads.

London was covered in up to 10 centimetres (four inches) of snow, the highest recorded in 18 years, closing the world's busiest airport at Heathrow, paralyzing trains and bus services and forcing many commuters to stay at home.

Flurries also brought chaos to parts of Paris and Spain, while three people died in Italy amid adverse weather conditions as the snow reached northern Morocco.

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The snow caused a Cyprus Airways plane to come off the taxiway at Heathrow before the airport was then shutdown.

"The plane had safely landed and was making its way to the stand and the front wheel went on to the grass area," a spokeswoman for airport operator BAA said. Passengers were bussed to the terminal and there were no injuries.

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