Thousands of tourists have been stranded in Finland’s Lapland due to severe cold that has prevented flights from one of its airports.
Departures from Lapland’s Kittila airport that would have taken winter travelers back to places such as London, Bristol, Manchester, Paris and Amsterdam were all canceled on Sunday as temperatures did not exceed -35C on Sunday.
The issue is expected to continue on Monday as a low of -39C is predicted by the Finnish meteorological agency. The first flight from Kittila has been cancelled.
Extreme cold makes it difficult to take off planes, while maintenance and refueling equipment on the ground can freeze.
Airport operator Finavia told public broadcaster Yle that the moisture in the air made the situation worse because it created slippery frost.
While Lapland – which straddles northern Norway, Sweden and Finland – is known for its cold and snow, Finnish Lapland usually has an average winter temperature of -14C, with occasional dips of -30C, according to the country’s tourism board.
Kittila airport mainly serves people who want to travel to nearby ski resorts and see the Northern Lights, while Rovaniemi airport in the south is the “official” destination for visitors to the folkloric home of Santa Claus.
One flight was canceled from Rovaniemi on Sunday.
Flights were reportedly canceled in and out of Kittila on Friday and Saturday as well.
The cold weather is also making the roads more dangerous, with Fintraffic warning of icy conditions in the region.
A bus full of Ukrainian passengers drove into a ditch on Sunday morning, Yle reported, citing local police. It said that no serious injuries were reported.
The unusual cold in Lapland comes as a storm sweeps through northern Europe bringing wintry conditions and travel disruption to the UK, France and Germany.
One person died after a tree fell on his caravan in England, while nearly 100,000 homes were without power in France on Saturday.