Takeoffs resume at Istanbul Airport as heavy snowfall subsides

By Kenan Irtak

ISTANBUL (AA) - Takeoffs resumed at Istanbul Airport on Tuesday a day after heavy snowfall halted air traffic to and from the metropolis, flag carrier Turkish Airlines announced.

Speaking at the airport while inspecting efforts to remove snow from the tarmac, Turkish Airlines CEO Ilker Ayci said one of the runways has been reopened, with efforts ongoing to remove ice from other parts of the airport.

Underlining that it was essential to open new parking slots to ensure rotation of planes, Ayci said a plane from New York had landed at the airport and another to New York took off, followed by planes en route to London and Atlanta.

"We will have removed snow from 60 plane slots and opened them by the morning," he said.

Istanbul Airport was shut to flights as of Monday after heavy snowfall hit Istanbul, also disrupting traffic in the metropolis and shuttering venues like shopping malls.

* Writing by Ali Murat Alhas