In fact, it is not often that Istanbul Airport has to be closed due to extremely heavy snowfall. On Tuesday, flight operations were temporarily stopped completely and later only long-haul aircraft were occasionally allowed to land.
The new Istanbul Airport, which is located in the European part of the metropolis, was affected. The smaller Sabiha Gökcen Airport was largely able to operate stably. Turkish Airlines canceled all departures from the main airport until midnight.
Among other things, eyewitnesses spoke of the fact that Turkey's largest airport currently has a real Alaskan feeling. This is of course expressed in a very simplified way, but heavy and prolonged snowfalls are quite rare in this region. Therefore, the extent of the provisions for winter service cannot be compared with those at airports in Alaska or in the Alps.