Intense snowfall in the US has had a massive impact on a number of states and, as a result, operations at many US airports have been significantly affected. The amount of snow that fell on Washington D.C on February 6th 2010 was almost historically unprecedented, while Philadelphia received close to 27 inches. The situation led to President Obama, the US President, describing the state of affairs as “snowmageddon.”

All flights due to depart Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport were cancelled, after 18 inches of snow – the fourth-highest fall level - gathered at ground level. Washington Dulles International Airport, meanwhile – US carrier United Airlines’ dominant East Coast hub - received 32 inches: a record-breaking amount. Here, the majority of departing flights remained ground-bound for some-time, but some aircraft are now leaving again.

Flights Cancelled: Snowmageddon

According to a spokesman for US Airways – one of the most visible airlines at Reagan Washington National Airport – close to 600 flights were cancelled on Sunday 7th February as a result of the snowmageddon. This was fewer than on Friday and Saturday, when 634 and 955 cancellations (out of approximately 3,000 daily services) took place, respectively.

United Airlines, meanwhile, cancelled close to 50 per cent of its scheduled Dulles International Airport departures on the 7th. United – along with US Airways and other airlines – had earlier on put a temporary waiver on the fees usually applied to passengers wishing to change flights. As a result, large number of passenger set to have travelled on February 6th or 7th opted to travel on the preceding Friday, instead.

Airport Snow

The airport snow fell barely one-and-a-half months after a storm that took place over Washington D.C on December 19th, 2009. Then, the US capital received in excess of 16 inches of snow.

According to the US National Weather Service – only 13 instances of snow fall exceeding 12 inches/one foot have occurred over the past 140 years. The bad news is that further snowfall is anticipated on February 9th-10th, which could likely setback efforts to restore operations back to normal at some of the US’ most significant airports. Airport International will present further coverage of this situation as future facts emerge.

Snow has proved to be a significant factor in terms of airport disruption so far this year. In the UK, for example, snow impacted on international airport flights on January 5th and 6th: London Heathrow and Gatwick airports were among those affected.