Heavy Snow In Oslo Leads To 60 Flight Cancelations

Heavy snow in Oslo led to the cancelation of more than 60 flights on Tuesday, April 25th, with the inclement weather severely impacting operations at Oslo Gardermoen Airport (OSL). Among those canceled was the King’s flight to Trondheim, and the royal visit to the city was subsequently called off, according to a palace spokesperson.

The majority of the cancelations occurred in the morning, with 35 flights already disrupted by 08:30. With its significant hub at Oslo Gardemoen Airport, Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) was naturally the most affected airline, with 28 flights canceled. This included domestic services to Trondheim (TRD), Bergen (BGO), and Stavanger (SVG), as well as international flights to Düsseldorf (DUS), Reykjavík (KEF), and Newcastle (NCL). No long-haul flights were affected.

A spokesperson for Norwegian airport operator Avinor confirmed the situation yesterday morning, saying,

“We now see that there will be delays throughout the day. The snow is heavy and wet. The planes have to go through deicing, and the runways have to be plowed. We have reduced the plowing crew because we are in the summer half-year. We are working to increase staffing.”

Nationwide disruption

Throughout the winter months, Oslo Gardermoen Airport is well-equipped to deal with heavy snowfall. However, the unseasonal weather came as a surprise, with snow-plowing services already reduced for the summer period.

In addition to the significant disruption in Oslo, the snow also caused knock-on delays at airports across the country, as well as major traffic problems throughout eastern Norway. However, by the afternoon, the snow had mostly cleared, with the situation largely returning to normal.

SAS at Oslo Gardermoen Airport

From its hub at Oslo Gardermoen Airport, SAS operates an extensive domestic and regional route network, covering primary business and leisure destinations throughout much of Europe. SAS will begin two new routes later this summer to Bucharest (OTP) and Sofia (SOF). The airline also flies to two Transatlantic destinations, with year-round flights to Newark (EWR) and a winter seasonal service to Miami (MIA).

Oslo Gardermoen Airport is the smallest of the airline’s three international hubs – SAS has a significantly larger long-haul network from Copenhagen (CPH) and Stockholm (ARN), with its fleet of seven Airbus A330-300s and four Airbus A350-900s. Oslo’s largest long-haul operator is the low-cost carrier Norse Atlantic Airways, which flies to New York (JFK), Fort Lauderdale (FLL) and Los Angeles (LAX) with its fleet of Boeing 787-9s.

Was your flight affected by the disruption at Oslo Gardermoen Airport yesterday? Have you ever had a flight canceled due to snow? Share your experiences by commenting below.

Sources: Aviation24.be, The Local

• 

  Oslo Gardermoen Airport

  IATA/ICAO Code:

  OSL/ENGM

  Country:

  Norway

  CEO:

  Abraham Foss

  Passenger Count :

  9,021,729 (2020)

  Runways :

  01L/19R – 3,600m (11,811ft) |01R/19L – 2,950m (9,678ft)