Holidaymakers at Newcastle airport face delays as runway ‘decimated’ by snow

Holidaymakers astatine Newcastle International Airport said the runway was “decimated” by snowfall arsenic Storm Bert batters the state with beardown winds, dense rainfall and snowfall and ice.

Weather warnings person travel into unit bringing a “potential hazard to beingness and property”, portion immoderate aerial question is disrupted with flights from Newcastle airdrome to Europe being delayed oregon cancelled.

Frequent travellers Tim Harding, 53, and his wife, Chona, 58, were owed to alert astatine 9.15am with Dutch hose KLM to Amsterdam from Newcastle earlier flying with Delta airlines to Orlando, Florida, to conscionable their household successful the US for Thanksgiving.

The couple, who arrived astatine the airdrome astatine astir 6am connected Saturday morning, said the upwind was “unprecedented” arsenic the snowfall fell “really quick” implicit a two-hour period.

Mr Harding told the PA quality agency: “Going to the airport… it was sleeting each the mode done past each of a abrupt it started coming down.

“There were astir 4 oregon 5 snowfall ploughs connected the runway and they conscionable couldn’t wide it. It was windy and it was virtually coming down truly quick, truthful hard. In the abstraction of 2 hours, it went from thing to decimated.

“The gritters were retired continuously, the ploughs were retired continuously, but it conscionable wasn’t having an interaction unfortunately.

“I was amazed however rapidly it came down and however overmuch came down successful a two-hour period. I haven’t seen that for a agelong time.”

He added the airdrome was “unprepared” for the weather, but praised unit for moving hard to region the snow.

“(The airport) lone had 1 feline extracurricular with a shovel and a bucket clearing the snowfall for radical coming into the airdrome and getting dropped off. They were unprepared for it. The unit wrong were a spot panicky,” helium said.

“I deliberation the airdrome did well. I deliberation it was unprecedented… I deliberation they were taken by surprise”.

The mates were owed to conscionable their 16-year-old nephew from Seattle successful Amsterdam earlier joining him connected a formation to Orlando, but they person since cancelled their flights and rebooked their travel for Sunday.

Despite the cancellation, Mr Harding said his family’s information is “paramount”.

He added: “We’re predominant flyers and information is perfectly paramount for me. You don’t privation to jeopardise anybody oregon enactment anybody astatine risk.”

Meanwhile, chap holidaymaker Richard Green, whose 9.05am formation for Krakow successful Poland has been delayed, said helium “couldn’t spot the apron” – the country wherever craft park, unload, refuel and are boarded by passengers – which was covered successful a broad of snow.

The 25-year-old from Wallsend successful Newcastle told PA: “I was coming up connected the Metro this morning, it was a spot of sleet, but it wasn’t bad.

“It was conscionable arsenic you were getting person to the airdrome you could spot the snowfall was starting to prevarication and past by the clip I got into the departure lounge you could spot the snowfall was getting really, truly heavy.

“You couldn’t spot the apron. You couldn’t spot anything. It was conscionable each white.”

Mr Green said his formation has been delayed to 3.15pm and is presently waiting astatine the airdrome for further updates.

Newcastle International Airport said the runway was cleared by noon connected Saturday and said it is moving hard to debar further delays to its passengers.

In a station connected X, it said: “Due to Storm Bert determination has been immoderate disruption to flights this greeting owed to snowfall successful parts of the UK, including Newcastle.

“Thanks to our hardworking snowfall squad the runway has been cleared wrong an hr and the airdrome is operating arsenic normal.

“Passengers are inactive advised to sojourn our website for the latest formation accusation and to interaction their hose straight if they person immoderate queries.”