• Snow ploughs clear the airfield after overnight snow forced the closure of Manchester Airport. Reuters
    Snow ploughs clear the airfield after overnight snow forced the closure of Manchester Airport. Reuters
  • A plane is de-iced at a the airport, in England. PA
    A plane is de-iced at a the airport, in England. PA
  • Heavy snow closed runways at Manchester Airport. Photo: Twitter
    Heavy snow closed runways at Manchester Airport. Photo: Twitter
  • A snow plough clears a road in Carrbridge, Scotland. Reuters
    A snow plough clears a road in Carrbridge, Scotland. Reuters
  • Hedgerow icicles in sub-zero temperatures in Macclesfield. Getty Images
    Hedgerow icicles in sub-zero temperatures in Macclesfield. Getty Images
  • Fresh snow near Huntly, in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. PA
    Fresh snow near Huntly, in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. PA
  • A major crash involving a double-decker bus and a motorcyclist occurred in Somerset as police warned drivers to avoid all but essential travel during the icy conditions. Reuters
    A major crash involving a double-decker bus and a motorcyclist occurred in Somerset as police warned drivers to avoid all but essential travel during the icy conditions. Reuters
  • Dog walkers near Hexham, north-eastern England. Drivers have been warned to factor in extra time for their journeys on icy roads. PA
    Dog walkers near Hexham, north-eastern England. Drivers have been warned to factor in extra time for their journeys on icy roads. PA
  • Snowfall in Eglinton, Co Londonderry, Northern Ireland. PA
    Snowfall in Eglinton, Co Londonderry, Northern Ireland. PA
  • Flooded roads near Wrotham in Kent, south-east England. PA
    Flooded roads near Wrotham in Kent, south-east England. PA
  • Dog and owner enjoy a morning run along the frosty bank of the River Cam in Cambridge at sunrise. PA
    Dog and owner enjoy a morning run along the frosty bank of the River Cam in Cambridge at sunrise. PA
  • A sprinkling of snow in Hexham. PA
    A sprinkling of snow in Hexham. PA
  • A snowy scene in Redruth, Cornwall. PA
    A snowy scene in Redruth, Cornwall. PA
  • Whitened fields near Addington in Kent. PA
    Whitened fields near Addington in Kent. PA

Manchester Airport runways temporarily closed by heavy snow and Etihad flight diverted


Gillian Duncan
  • English
  • Arabic

England's Manchester Airport has temporarily shut both its runways because of heavy snow forcing planes to divert to other airports.

One Etihad Airways flight was diverted to Birmingham Airport, about 120km to the south, with Manchester Airport out of action for about two and a half hours.

The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning for Manchester due to the wintry weather, which is expected to cause further disruption. The city is expected to experience lows of -2°C on Thursday.

An airport statement on Twitter initially said operations would resume at the "earliest opportunity".

“Following a period of heavy snowfall, we have temporarily closed both runways,“ the airport said.

"Health and safety will always be our top priority and operations will resume at the earliest opportunity.

“Passengers are advised to contact their airline for the most up-to-date flight information.”

The airport said the runways were closed at 6.20am and about two and a half hours later operations had resumed. It told passengers to contact airlines for flight information.

The UK is currently experiencing a cold snap, which has resulted in rail cancellations.

Overnight temperatures fell to below -10°C in parts of the UK overnight amid warnings of snow, ice and travel disruption.

Drumnadrochit near Inverness in the Highlands hit -10.4°C early on Thursday, making it the coldest recorded temperature of the year. Topcliffe in north Yorkshire got down to -7.4°C, the coldest place in England.

A series of yellow weather warnings for snow and ice from the Met Office came in as a major incident was declared in Somerset due to the risk of flooding.

Snow at Manchester Airport on Thursday January 19 2023. Photo: Twitter
Snow at Manchester Airport on Thursday January 19 2023. Photo: Twitter

Warnings covering northern and south-west Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales suggest there may be "further wintry showers bringing disruption from ice and snow" while an ice warning is also in place for the south-west of England.

"Parts of north-west Scotland still have 34cm of snow lying, elsewhere this is around 9cm, and in sites across Northern Ireland we've got 7cm, and in Wales as well,” Met Office forecaster Marco Petagna said.

"The main thing elsewhere is frost and ice, showers are focused towards the north and west of the UK, so elsewhere a frosty and icy, but dry start.”

A level three cold weather alert issued by the UK Health Security Agency, warning of conditions that "could increase the health risks to vulnerable patients and disrupt the delivery of services" is in place until 9am on Friday.

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MATCH INFO

Who: France v Italy
When: Friday, 11pm (UAE)
TV: BeIN Sports

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Akeed

Based: Muscat

Launch year: 2018

Number of employees: 40

Sector: Online food delivery

Funding: Raised $3.2m since inception 

First Person
Richard Flanagan
Chatto & Windus 

MATCH INFO

RB Leipzig 2 (Klostermann 24', Schick 68')

Hertha Berlin 2 (Grujic 9', Piatek 82' pen)

Man of the match Matheus Cunha (Hertha Berlin

Russia's Muslim Heartlands

Dominic Rubin, Oxford

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Starring: Anthony Mackie, Aiysha Hart, Ben Kingsley

Director: Rupert Wyatt

Rating: 3/5

Marathon results

Men:

 1. Titus Ekiru(KEN) 2:06:13 

2. Alphonce Simbu(TAN) 2:07:50 

3. Reuben Kipyego(KEN) 2:08:25 

4. Abel Kirui(KEN) 2:08:46 

5. Felix Kemutai(KEN) 2:10:48  

Women:

1. Judith Korir(KEN) 2:22:30 

2. Eunice Chumba(BHR) 2:26:01 

3. Immaculate Chemutai(UGA) 2:28:30 

4. Abebech Bekele(ETH) 2:29:43 

5. Aleksandra Morozova(RUS) 2:33:01  

Updated: January 19, 2023, 10:25 AM