Major snowstorm disrupts road, rail and air traffic in Romania, Bucharest among hardest hit

A major snowstorm swept across southern and eastern Romania, disrupting transport nationwide and prompting emergency warnings in the capital on Wednesday morning. Bucharest and the surrounding Ilfov county were among the hardest hit areas, where heavy snowfall was forecast to reach up to 50 cm.

The National Meteorological Administration (ANM) issued nowcasting red warnings for heavy snowfall in Bucharest and Ilfov county valid until 08:20 AM on Wednesday, saying 30-35 cm had already accumulated, Euronews Romania reported. Emergency crews carried out more than 100 interventions in the capital and Ilfov to remove fallen trees and loose construction elements, damaging 40 vehicles.

Air traffic at Henri Coandă International Airport and Bucharest Băneasa operated in conditions of heavy snowfall and strong winds on Wednesday morning, with gusts blowing snow across the ground and complicating airport operations, according to an official update. A total of 58 snow-removal vehicles worked continuously to clear runways, but several flights were cancelled anyway, including LOT services between Warsaw and Bucharest, TAROM flights from Chișinău and Suceava, and Turkish Airlines services to Istanbul. Five aircraft were diverted to other airports such as Varna, Sofia, Cluj, Craiova, and Athens.

Additional delays remained possible due to aircraft de-icing procedures after boarding and difficult ground handling, and passengers were advised to arrive early and check flight status directly with their airline.

Meanwhile, rail traffic was also disrupted on Wednesday morning on main line 300 between Crivina and Brazi after fallen trees damaged overhead power lines, according to News.ro. Trains arriving at and departing from Bucharest’s North Train Station (Gara de Nord) recorded delays of tens of minutes, in some cases of even more than two hours.

The arrivals and departures board at Bucharest’s North Train Station is displayed online - here.

Road transport faced the widest disruption, with police closing sections of major highways. According to the