LONDON | Britain’s prime minister offered troops to get airports working again Tuesday as Europe’s transportation chief questioned why more airports weren’t prepared for winter weather, a failure that left outraged passengers struggling to get home for a fourth straight day.
Prime Minister David Cameron said his government had “offered military assistance” to the company that operates Europe’s busiest airport and others in Britain. Heathrow said it was grateful for the offer and didn’t need the help, but still would be unable to restore full service until at least Thursday morning.
“We currently have over 200 volunteers supporting our passengers in the terminals and we have also engaged our construction contractors to assist with the clearance of snow around the airport,” a spokeswoman said.
Mr. Cameron said that, given the exceptional weather, which saw 5 inches of snow fall in an hour on Saturday, followed by a few centimeters later in the day, it was inevitable Heathrow would shut for a time.
“I am frustrated on behalf of all those affected that it has taken so long for the situation to improve,” Mr. Cameron said.
He promised the second runway at London’s Heathrow would reopen within hours. But with a backlog of canceled flights, Heathrow said it would be operating around one-third of a normal flight schedule until 6 a.m. on Thursday.
An airport spokeswoman said officials needed “breathing space” to clear remaining snow, restart equipment and move planes and crews back into place.
Major delays and cancellations also disrupted other European airports and the Eurostar train link, leaving thousands stranded across Europe as Christmas approached. The icy road conditions in much of Britain and Ireland also raised doubts about the delivery of Christmas gifts because many side roads were hazardous.
“We are delivering as much as we can, but inevitably some things may not be delivered before Christmas,” said Anina Castle, spokeswoman for the Currys home-electronics chain.
Currys and many other major businesses have stopped taking online orders for pre-Christmas delivery because of the poor road conditions.
European Transportation Commissioner Siim Kallas said new airport regulations due to be published before the summer could include new requirements on “minimal services” that airports must provide during severe weather.
Mr. Kallas said he will meet airport representatives soon “to ask for further explanations and to take a hard look at what is necessary to make sure they would be able to operate more effectively.”
Meanwhile, Air France-KLM President Pierre-Henri Gourgeon said snow-related disruptions over the weekend cost the airline $20 million to $27 million, while losses for the entire month could reach $47 million.
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