Heavy Snowfall Forces Oslo Airport to Suspend All Flights

Oslo Airport stopped all flights due to heavy snow and strong winds on Wednesday. The extreme weather in Norway and parts of Sweden made it hard to see the runway lights, leading to this rare decision at about 12:35 PM. Flights are expected to resume at 2:30 PM, but the situation is being watched closely

Heavy Snowfall Halts Flights at Oslo Airport

Oslo Airport faced a major halt in its operations on Wednesday when heavy snowfall and strong winds forced it to stop all flights. This rare move, happening around 12:35 PM local time, was made for safety reasons as the intense weather made the runway lights invisible. Avinor, the airport operator, made this decision, noting the unusual nature of the situation.

Cathrine Framholt, Avinor's communications manager, expressed that the weather was extremely challenging and such an incident was uncommon. Although an exact time for when this last happened was not provided, the severity of the weather was evident. An Avinor spokesperson stated the difficulty pilots were facing in seeing the ground lights due to the heavy snow, The Guardian reported.

While flights were paused, Oslo Airport remained open for passengers. However, Avinor's website also faced issues, likely due to the weather conditions. The heavy snow not only affected air travel but also disrupted public transport in Greater Oslo. Train services in eastern Norway were stopped, and there were significant delays in subway and bus services in Oslo.

The extreme weather was not limited to Norway. In Sweden, authorities warned of dangerous road conditions due to a snowstorm and strong winds. The southern region of Skåne and western areas were particularly affected. The Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute issued multiple snow warnings, predicting severe conditions for Stockholm and other regions. By Thursday, the situation in Sweden was expected to improve, but cold temperatures reaching -20C were forecasted for the weekend.

Direct Flights from Oslo to Bangkok Increase in 2024

In 2024, more direct flights are happening between Oslo, Norway, and Bangkok, Thailand. Norse Atlantic Airways, Thai Airways, and Scandinavian Airlines are the airlines making this happen. These flights mean more people can travel easily between Scandinavia and Thailand.

Norse Atlantic Airways started these flights on Nov. 2, 2023. They fly from Oslo to Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport. According to Khaosod English, this summer, from May 29 to Sep. 7, there will be 30 flights. In the winter, from Oct. 31, 2024, to March 27, 2025, another 30 flights are planned. Each Boeing 787 Dreamliner plane can take 290 passengers.

Thai Airways will also start flights from Oslo to Bangkok in July 2024. Scandinavian Airlines is flying from Copenhagen to Bangkok too, with three flights every week.

This increase in flights is big news for tourists from Denmark, Sweden, and Norway. In 2023, 375,668 tourists from these countries visited Thailand. That's 80% more than in 2022. These tourists like to visit places like Bangkok, Phuket, Krabi, Chonburi, and Surat Thani in Thailand.