Iceland’s Keflavik Airport: Snow, heavy winds disrupt operations, flights cancelled, passengers left stranded

Severe weather in Iceland has become a nightmare for foreign travellers. Due to the extreme snow and winds, all the operations at the Keflavik airport of Iceland have been shut down. All the incoming and outgoing flights have been cancelled since Friday.

Along with the flights being shut, the Keflavik airport has also been cut from the capital Reykjavik. The snow has blocked the Road 41 highway linking the airport to the city.

About 1000 foreign travellers, mainly from the US, have been stranded at the airport. The travellers who mostly go on holidays in Iceland are forced to sleep on the cold floor with an inadequate supply of food and clothes. Being cut off from the city, the passengers are unable to even reach the hotels. The passengers are saying that the biggest problem they are facing at the airport is the lack of communication organisation from the airport authorities.


The Meteorological Office of Iceland issued a warning on Tuesday of severe weather in the whole country. “There's a severe weather warning across the whole of Iceland, and many roads are closed. Police are advising people to stay at their homes. High winds and dangerous icy road conditions are causing major flight disruption and affecting movement to/from Keflavik international airport due to the road closures.” said The Foreign Office of Iceland.


According to the authorities, extreme snowfall and extreme winds have not been that common in Iceland. There have been over 30 cm of snowfall overnight in the past few days. The wind is also blowing at 18-25 m/s. The US and UK passengers have urged their government to take necessary steps to rescue them. The passengers have also told the problems they have been facing. Tom Stirling, a 40 years old US citizen, said, “I understand that weather factors can affect things, but I think the lack of preparation and foresight ... Today, everything’s cancelled, and no one’s doing anything to make this right.” Many other passengers have also shared their ordeal on social media.

The weather forecasts indicate that the weather might get better on Thursday evening. The British and American airlines have assured that they will be flying the passenger immediately out of Iceland as the weather clears up.

FAQs:

1. What is the average temperature in Iceland in the winter season?
   The average temperature in Iceland remains 1-2 degree celsius during the winters.
2. What is the population of Iceland?
   Iceland’s population will be 376,248 in 2022.