January 24, (THEWILL) – Istanbul Airport has suspended all flights on Monday because of a heavy snowstorm blanketing Turkey’s biggest city.
“Due to adverse conditions, all flights have been temporarily stopped for air safety”, the airport said in a statement.
Officials said flights would be suspended until at least 6:00 pm (1500 GMT).
Istanbul was hit by its first snow storm of the winter over the weekend.
Turkish media said it marked the first time the airport had completely shut down due to adverse weather since it opened.
Located on the Black Sea coast about 40 kilometres (25 miles) northwest of central Istanbul, the air hub serviced more than 37 million passengers last year, according to the transportation ministry.
The airport opened in 2019, replacing the old Ataturk Airport as the new hub for Turkish Airlines. It was the busiest airport in Europe in 2021
It provides an important connection route for destinations across Africa and the Middle East, as well as Europe and Asia.
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