GLASGOW and Edinburgh airports were forced to shut down as the heavy snow continued to cause mass flight cancellations.
Hundreds of departures were axed and many more delayed as the Beast of the East caused more havoc to air travel in Scotland than when it first struck on Wednesday.
Some of the cancellations in Scotland were blamed on staff shortages due to the treacherous snowy conditions.
(Picture credit: Jamie Simpson)
Glasgow Airport was forced to close for the whole of Thursday to ensure the safety of passengers and staff.
It comes as passengers were forced to stay overnight in airports as they waited for news on their flights
At Edinburgh Airport, by mid-afternoon eight airlines had cancelled all flights leaving nearly 100 departures axed. Bosses decided to close the airport from 6pm believing it it would give staff the "best opportunity to prepare" for Friday.
(Picture credit: Jamie Simpson)
Aberdeen might be the most northerly of Scotland's biggest airports, but was least affected and remained open all day, although there were 19 flight cancellations by mid-afternoon.
A Glasgow Airport said: "Further snow is forecast during the day which will make travel conditions to and from the airport extremely challenging. This decision has been taken with the safety of passengers and staff in mind.
"Our teams have been clearing snow continually since Tuesday evening and will continue to do so throughout the day.
"We would advise passengers not to travel to the airport and anyone with travel plans should contact their airline directly for specific flight information."
(Picture credit: Jamie Simpson)
At Edinburgh Airport where only a handful of flight were run, as spokesman said it closed because weather conditions meant it and the airlines operating there "do not have the critical mass of staff needed to run operations securely".
Heathrow said it had "consolidated" its flight schedule "to provide more certainty around departing flights, and ensure the safety of our passengers and colleagues", while Gatwick said "many flights are cancelled or delayed today".
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