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.'
© 2008 dpa - Deutsche Presse-Agentur 
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