NNA - Some flights from Istanbul airport resumed on Tuesday after nearly 24 hours of cancellations as heavy snow clogged roads and brought thousands of people across Turkey to a standstill and Greece.

In Athens, thousands of people were evacuated from a highway and took refuge at the city’s airport after Monday’s severe snowstorm. On Tuesday, dozens of cars were still covered in snow as snow plows tried to clear the roads.

In Istanbul, the airport, among the largest in the world, was under a thick blanket of snow with covered runways and planes.

Snowfall began late last week and has intensified in recent days in the city of 16 million, delaying buses and ferries and prompting a ban on driving private vehicles.

“We’ve been here for more than 24 hours already,” said Selim Kilik, who planned to fly to Paris this week. He complained of a lack of staff and information.

An airport spokesman said the limited flights started around 10:00 GMT (1:00 p.m.) after a 10 p.m. delay, and scheduled flights would resume around midnight.

Turkish Airlines (THYAO.IS) said earlier it halted all flights until 21:00 GMT.

Ugurcan Guller, who was waiting for a domestic flight, said stranded passengers had problems with baggage, tickets and food at Istanbul airport.

“We have been sleeping miserably on the floor since yesterday,” he said. “We call on the authorities to find a solution for us.”

Storms swept across the region from Greece and across Turkey, leaving snow on the beaches of the southern resort town of Antalya for the first time in 29 years.-- Reuters

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