Chaos at Tehran airport, renewed delays caused by frozen runway

Jan 7, 2008, 9:20 GMT

Tehran - Chaos was reigning Monday at Imam Khomeini International Airport (IKA) in Tehran after flights had been delayed for a second consecutive day because of a frozen runway.

After all flights had been cancelled due to heavy snowfalls on Sunday, IKA announced they would resume on Monday morning.

But passengers at IKA said over the phone flights would not resume until the afternoon although foreign airlines doubted the frozen runway could be cleaned by then.

Passengers also complained that airport officials would not give them clear information on whether or not their flights would be cancelled, leaving them unsure whether they should return to the city or wait at the busy airport.

'If we are lucky, we get a seat at the airport, if not, then we have to sit on the ground,' said a passenger, who had been waiting to return to Frankfurt since Sunday.

The new IKA airport, which only became fully operational in November, is located about 50 kilometres south of Tehran, and passengers can only return to the capital by airport taxis.

But huge numbers of passengers and frozen roads mean there are not enough taxis available, and the few taxis that are there charge up to three times the normal fare.

Germany's Hansa Rostock football team, which was in Tehran for a friendly game on Saturday, also remained stuck at the airport unable to return to Dubai where the team had been preparing for the second half of the season, passengers said.

Internal flights going to Mehrabad airport in western Tehran, were also cancelled Sunday and it was unclear when they would resume.

Heavy snowfalls and temperatures reaching more than ten degrees below zero caused chaos across Tehran forcing the Iranian administration to close down all government offices for the next two days.

The cold season in Tehran, including heavy snowfalls, usually starts in mid-December and lasts until the end of February. But the meteorological office has called the current situation and the forecasts for the next 48 hours 'unprecedented.'