Manchester Airport runways reopen after heavy snow

Jan 19: Manchester Airport has resumed operations after both runways had to close for more than two hours due to heavy snow.

It said passengers' health and safety would "always be our top priority".

The Met Office said Manchester was under a yellow weather warning until 12:00 GMT, with wintry showers expected to bring "further disruption from ice and snow".

Travellers have been advised to contact their airline for flight information.

The runways closed at 06:20 GMT and reopened at 08:43.

One passenger, Dec, tweeted: "Just another hour to sit on the plane going nowhere."

BBC weather presenter Simon King said there had been "some scattered snow showers this morning, giving a covering of snow in places".

"In particular, a heavier snow shower passed over southern areas of Greater Manchester, giving a good coverage at Manchester Airport," he said.

"The snow has already moved away, but there still could be a few more wintry showers across Greater Manchester throughout the morning."

An airport representative told the BBC that once the snow was deeper than 0.1in (3mm), runways and taxiways must be cleared.

While the affected areas had been largely cleared, further snowfall had delayed the runways' reopening.

Nathan Booth tweeted that he had been "sat on a plane diverted to Birmingham [because] of a wind blow of snowfall for the past hour".

However, Teddy Vee said he had sympathy for the airport team.

"Try clearing 294,000 sqm of snow + taxiways + stands," he wrote.

"It's not like clearing your driveway. Snow teams have been there since Monday in readiness."