Heavy snowfall forced the closure of the runway at Bodø Airport in Norway on Friday evening, disrupting air travel.
The airport’s communications chief, Cathrine Framholt, reported the runway was shut down at 5:23 PM local time, with an update expected at 7:30 PM. “The weather is very bad there, and it’s not possible to maintain the runway in a condition suitable for aircraft operations under these circumstances,” Framholt said.
Framholt added that the closure was regrettable and advised passengers to check with their respective airlines for the latest information.
By 7:24 PM, Flightradar showed activity had resumed on the Bodø Airport runway.
“Some flights have landed since 7:05 PM, and others are now taking off shortly after 7:30 PM, so traffic is resuming,” Framholt told Avisa Nordland shortly after 7:30 PM. “We will continue to monitor the situation and hope traffic will continue throughout the evening. There are, of course, delays, and passengers should follow information from the airlines.”
Widerøe airline and its passengers were most affected by the closure.
“The runway at Bodø is temporarily closed by Avinor due to heavy snowfall, currently until 7:30 PM. This unfortunately results in delays to our flights to and from Bodø this evening. We are working to find solutions and apologize for the delays. We urge all passengers to arrive as normal, unless otherwise informed,” Satha Sritharan, press officer at Widerøe, wrote in an email.
Meteorologist Leonidas Tsopouridis at the Norwegian Meteorological Institute told Avisa Nordland that the worst of the weather had passed.
“Approximately 10 centimeters of snow fell in the last hour, but it is moving north. There is a slight chance of further showers tonight or overnight, but not enough to cause additional problems,” the meteorologist said.
He reported wind gusts in Bodø exceeded 18 meters per second on Friday.
“Those winds are also decreasing and becoming calmer.”
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