Winter storm snarls transport in Spain

Madrid, Dec 22 : The wave of cold weather in Spain and the heavy snowfall Monday in Madrid caused numerous flights to be cancelled and traffic jams on some roads in the Spanish capital.

At dawn Madrid airport was covered in snow with two runways closed and with operations delayed principally because of "poor visibility", said officials at AENA, the agency that manages Spain's airports.

AENA announced that 223 flights had been cancelled up to 3 p.m. leaving thousands of passengers waiting on land with a mixture of patience and anger at the consequences of the storms affecting 37 Spanish provinces.

Notice boards for passengers showed delays of between five and seven hours for some flights with postponements affecting all airlines.

Madrid Barajas International Airport had 1,165 arrivals and departures scheduled for Monday.

The storm also affected travel on the high-speed trains connecting Madrid with the cities of Malaga, Seville and Barcelona, though their operations have gradually been restored.

Highway traffic was also affected on roads into Madrid and in certain provinces.