The weather at Helsinki Airport has been cloudy and snowy on Friday. Heavy snowfall is expected to continue throughout the day and delay flights.
SEVERAL DEPARTURES from Helsinki Airport are likely to be delayed due to the snowy weather on Friday.
According to Finnair, only one of Helsinki Airport’s three runways is currently in use. Finnair flights can be delayed from half an hour to more than four hours.
Normally, about 35 flights take off or land at Helsinki Airport every hour, but now there were 17 departures and arrivals per hour at 10 o’clock in the morning.
National broadcaster YLE reported that a flight scheduled to depart for Brussels at 07:40 was delayed until noon. To ease the frustration of the passengers with families, the children were allowed to see the cockpit and talk to the pilots.
In a crowded plane waiting to take off, entertainment is sometimes provided “such as a break dance,” according to Finnair’s communications department. (The dance is not to be confused with the urban art form known as ‘breakdancing,’ in which the plane’s narrow aisle leaves little room to spin on the back.)
“Sometimes they even sing Christmas carols,” said Päivyt Tallqvist, Finnair’s head of communications.
While waiting, “passengers were also given a snack biscuit and a chocolate bar to nibble on,” Tallqvist continued.
