Thousands of travellers faced a second day of chaotic disruption Sunday, as heavy snows and sub-zero temperatures continued to affect much of Europe, according to dpa. Some of Europe's busiest airports, including Frankfurt and Schipol in Amsterdam, were forced to cancel hundreds of flights, as families attempted to travel to visit loved ones in the final weekend before Christmas. In Switzerland, two people were killed when their light aircraft a power line in heavy snow as it attempted to come in to land at a private airport near St Moritz. Frankfurt airport, a major transcontinental aviation hub, saw 510 flights of a possible 1,300 departures cancelled by mid-afternoon. Other German airports also experienced delays and cancellations. Around 50 flights were cancelled in Munich, where 200 passengers had spent the night on camp beds. In neighbouring Belgium, around 1,500 long-distance travellers were stuck at Brussels airport overnight, diverted from London's Heathrow terminals where British Airways cancelled all flights Saturday. Liege and Charleroi airports were also shut. Heathrow airport in London shut its runway temporarily on Sunday. Although Gatwick airport reopened, the number of rescheduled flights, plus the difficulties passengers in Britain had in reaching the airport by car or coach, meant there were still huge backlogs. With difficult road conditions and many cancelled flights, Germany's rail operator Deutsche Bahn warned passengers the network would be stretched to capacity - and beyond - at peak times this coming week, as commuters and long-distance travellers attempted to make journeys by rail. Weather forecasters expected continuing freezing temperatures and possibly more snow until at least Tuesday, when a warmer front may bring rain, but with it possibly black ice, to northern Europe. Paris Charles de Gaulle airport saw numerous cancelled or postponed, after airport authorities shut all four runways for an hour on Sunday morning to clear accumulated snowfalls. A concert by US singer Lady Gaga in Bercy had to be cancelled, after the convoy of trucks transporting equipment for the show were stuck in France. In Berlin temperatures reached a low of minus 15 degrees Celcius, although the coldest place in Europe appeared to be Prague, at minus 19. London was a more moderate - but still several degrees colder than average for December - minus 3.
