Heathrow's second runway reopens after days of snow-bound closure

Dec 21, 2010, 18:38 GMT

London - The second runway at London's Heathrow airport reopened late Tuesday after four days of closure which led to thousands of passengers being stranded or severely delayed.

The reopening of the runway came after Prime Minister David Cameron criticized the slow pace of a return to normality at Heathrow, one of Europe's major air traffic hubs.

Calling for 'action' to relieve the congestion, which was triggered by heavy snowfalls Saturday, Cameron said he had offered the help of the army to BAA, the airport's operators.

Cameron said he was 'frustrated' that it had taken BAA so long to return the situation to normal after heavy snowfalls on Saturday. BAA said it had turned down the offer for military assistance.

'We want to see action on the ground. Everything must be done to either get people on their holidays, or get them home safely,' urged Cameron.

As stranded passengers were put up in tents outside terminals, and many cancelling their travel plans, BAA chief Colin Matthews said removing the masses of snow from underneath parked aircraft had not been easy.

'It took us longer than we expected, as I said, to take the snow from under the aircraft, to clear the stands and we are really sorry for the disruption that resulted from that.'