Snow closes British airport

LONDON - The Edinburgh airport in Britain was Saturday forced to close due to heavy snow, affecting thousands of passengers, a media report said.

The airport, one of the busiest in Scotland, was closed for hours after nearly three inches of snow settled overnight, the Daily Telegraph reported.

More heavy snow is expected to fall during the day Saturday as forecasters have said the icy conditions will hit areas north of the border and in Northern Ireland, before the wintry blast abates Sunday.

In contrast, the southern half of Britain has received heavy rain and much milder temperatures.

The Met Office issued severe weather warnings of heavy snow for several regions, including Grampian, Strathclyde, Central, Tayside and Fife, plus southwest Scotland, Lothian and Borders.

Police across the country warned drivers to take extra caution on the roads.

Edinburgh Airport advised passengers to contact their airline. Glasgow and Aberdeen airports were not reporting any disruption.

The latest travel chaos comes after heavy snow falls in December caused widespread disruption to air, rail and road transport.

Snow disruption to European and American airports last month cost British Airways 50 million pounds.