A severe cold snap gripping Europe has triggered significant travel chaos, with major airports across Central Europe forced to close temporarily due to dangerous icy conditions on Tuesday, 13 January 2026.
Key Airports Brought to a Halt
The disruptions were widespread, impacting several key international hubs. Budapest Ferenc Liszt International Airport announced a full temporary closure due to perilous black ice and extreme icing on its surfaces. The hazardous conditions led to an incident where an Ethiopian Airlines cargo flight slid off a taxiway.
Meanwhile, Vienna International Airport also closed for a period before managing to resume operations. In the Czech Republic, Prague's Vaclav Havel Airport was operating in what officials described as a "very limited mode" because of persistent freezing rain.
Northern Europe Also Gripped by Cold
The travel misery extended far beyond Central Europe. Over the weekend, thousands of travellers found themselves stranded in Finland after extreme cold, with temperatures plunging to a staggering minus 37 degrees Celsius, caused numerous flight cancellations at Kittilä airport.
These incidents are not isolated but form part of a broader and more severe winter weather pattern affecting large swathes of the continent. The current cold snap is causing substantial disruption across northern, central, and eastern Europe.
Wider Context of Travel Disruption
The icy conditions come amid other recent aviation incidents linked to severe weather. The disruptions highlight the vulnerability of transport networks to extreme winter conditions and the cascading effects on passenger travel.
With airports like Vienna, Budapest, and Prague serving as major connectors, the temporary closures have a ripple effect, delaying and cancelling flights across European networks and leaving countless passengers stranded or facing lengthy delays as authorities work to make runways and taxiways safe again.
