Snow closes the airport with around 100 flights cancelled
Tuesday 12th March 2013, 8:26AM GMT.
Sweepers are used to clear the runway. Work had been taking place since the early hours of yesterday morning. (Picture by Steve Sarre, 1309455)
AROUND 2,000 passengers were affected by the closure of Guernsey Airport yesterday in arctic conditions.
The airport shut-down saw around 100 flights, both in and out of the island, cancelled.
The decision to shut was taken just after 11am, but not a single flight had landed or taken off before then.
Airport director Colin Le Ray said work to try to sweep the runway of snow had been taking place since the early hours of yesterday morning.
‘We starting clearing just before 3.30am and will continue to do so to mid or late afternoon to try and keep on top of it.’
- To read Guernsey Press stories in full click here for subscription details. Individual editions are now available online.
Tuesday 18 June
- Condor wants security to buy £70m. ships
- Your States - St Peter Port South
- GP 200 LOOKback - St Peter Port Harbour
- CGi Technology Challenge
- Sport - Priaulx's problems continue
Campaigns
Voice For Victims
Voice for Victims is a campaign aimed at promoting the rights of those affected by child sexual abuse.
This is Guernsey
Guernsey Press
Useful Links
http://www.keepcalmandposters.com/posters/864723.png
Report abuse
Arctic conditions? Seriously?
Bwaahahahahaaa
Report abuse
Wow !! last time i was in real arctic conditions,(North Europe & Scandinavia),let me see now,yes the airports were fully operational,ah yes,and the mercury was down to minus 34.7dgc(so cold the salt on the roads was useless)Sea was frozen to a 40cm thickness,with families happily ski-ing on the frozen sea,come to think of it,the quad bike,and 4×4 brigade were having fun on the frozen sea as well!…schools open as normal,the kids(ello Guernsey, warm clothing also found on the island.) walking,ski-ing, bussing, or going by car, or 4×4 vehicles (people there, knew how to drive 4x4s by the way). Hang on,yes public transport in all it’s forms was on the move,(ello Guernsey,winter tyres,chains and grit also available on the island oh yes.)…Think think,ah yes the roads were under solid pack ice,but shock horror,what’s this, vehicles being driven on the pack ice,by all ages,young through to pensioners,not forgeting the “hardy” mums on the school run.
Yes, forgot to mention the construction workers,out in these conditions, building what ever they had to build,(poor chap in the tower crane, was struggling to see in the gale blown blizzards),oh yes nearly forgot, the bin men and their trucks, were out doing their bit for the community,along with the post “persons”,and the news paper delivery “persons”,and the home nurses.The ducks? well they were happily ski-ing on the frozen solid lake,grateful for all hand outs..Nearly forgot to mention,the kids on the frozen waters drilling a hole through the ice,and dangling a fishing line through,to get the one that got away!
I’m sure the local bobies were somewhere,but certainly ,were not sending out a cry of Stay indoors if you don’t need to go out.
Hello Guernsey,are you getting the picture yet?
Who on the island remembers like i do,going to school in all weathers,(remember 63 ?)we just did,we found a way through, no shying out of it,no question of parents bleeting on about not going,we were not wrapped up in a cotton wool society then.No nannie state,or have you got a claim, mentality then either,and no silly Health and Safety waving it’s iron fist at us then, trying to weaken our responsibilities for our own actions.
Nearly forgot to say,my trip to the “real” arctic area was done in my vehicle,not a 4×4,yep on winter tyres(non studded type) supplied in Guernsey,for very little cost.
Yes,people up north are used to it,but they get on with it…and in an admirable way too.
Come on Britain…get a grip.
Report abuse
What an absolute load of garbage and if you think comparing places which constantly have to deal with these conditions and are geared up for it and taken into account the lay of the land and varying kinds of snow then i doubt you`ve been further than your keyboard otherwise you would`nt spout such nonsense.
Maybe we should get some camels in case we encounter Sahara conditions because after all they seem to cope pretty well don`t they?
I`ve been inside the Arctic circle myself and it was fun and easy to get around simply because there set up for it. I wonder why that could be?.
Report abuse
bcb
You said what I was thinking. Mind you good idea about the camels, Rosie would like that :-)
Report abuse
La….expected that form of reply.With respect,had you taken the trouble to of read my “true account”,you would of “got” my point.How does it go now,”c’est la verite que fait mal”..Garbage is only to those, who happen to be faced with the truth. In this case, my above 100% true Scandinavian winter description,is from a place in southern Norway,as seen through mine and my wifes eyes.Sorry,small detail here,forgot to mention,she is Scandinavian (Norwegian,from a commune Aust-Agder,
south Norway.We have photos of us walking on the frozen sea,with the 4×4 and quads racing by us..No doupt you have been within the Arctic circle,then you for one would of seen that life goes on.Quite correct also, we can’t compare Guernsey and the Northern lands,and yes they are used to it,and yes the snow is different,(powdery)but they get on with life,in winters most here couldn’t imagine..Shocking to our nanny state maybe,that schools “up there” stay open,also the nursery schools,and shock horror, the little tots are out playing in the real freezing conditions,but “up there” peoples lives are not wrapped in cotten wool.
Glad also ,that my work(driving) takes me to europe,and Scandinavia,to fresh scenery and mentality.I might be a donkey,but my blinkers and tether, fell off ages ago,and realised there was a real world out there,maybe more of us should try it,a.
People that know me,”mes amis”, and read my “postings”,will Know by the details that i write,it’s not garbage or spouting nonsense,but only truth.”Bon idee”, you have, to import camels from the sahara,the camels may help us donkey’s to see,that not all “postings”on this site, are bloney mirages!
Having just visited Norway (in my vehicle, with its Guernsey supplied winter tyres),i can 100% confirm that the tower crane,mentioned in my last “posting”,is still working in winter conditions,near a place called kristiansand,building a folk museum.
As a final,twist to all this,(unless the G P has changed suppliers recently),Norwegian trees (paper)is keeping the islands readers, informed of the daily news,yes the Guernsey Press,was/is printed on Skog,”Arctic” paper….Velkomen til Norge alle
som tror på sannheten!
Report abuse
You can have all the snow clearing equipment you like, but as long as it keeps on snowing the runway is going to get covered in more snow even if it was clear before ….
Short of spending millions ( tens of millions ? ) installing an underground heating system I don’t see what more can be done ? Besides, even if the airport were open hardly anybody could have got there because of the state of the roads …..
Spending anything on a problem that at worst occurs for a few days a year is pointless. We lose more days flying to fog …. Should we install a burner system along the runway to deal with that ?
Report abuse
You make a very good point re getting to and from the airport Toby.
Report abuse