British Airways Plc is struggling to restore flights at its London Heathrow hub even as runways are cleared of snow and ice that closed airports and snarled Europe’s road and rail networks for the past four days. While Heathrow is operating at about 70 percent of capacity today, according to owner BAA Ltd., British Airways built its timetable around earlier advice that Europe’s busiest airport would be limited to one-third of flights until tomorrow morning. “With the opening of the second runway yesterday evening we will continue to review our operation and, where possible, we will add flights to our schedule today,” British Airways said in a statement today. “However, it takes some time to rebuild an operation of our size and complexity at very short notice.” The approaching Christmas holidays have added to the volume of European travelers trying to move by air, rail and road, as well as to their urgency. Thousands of people remain marooned across the region in the wake of blizzards that began last month and produced Britain’s heaviest early snowfalls in 17 years. “We’re expecting a unique demand for tickets,” said Berthold Huber, chief of long-distance operations for German state-owned railway Deutsche Bahn AG. The Berlin-based company plans to add extra trains from today to help cope with passenger loads inflated by flight cancellations, he said. British Airways said passengers should continue to avoid traveling to Heathrow unless they have confirmation that their flight will operate, adding that services at the airport should be back to normal after 6 a.m. tomorrow. The carrier’s flights at London’s Gatwick and City airports are already on schedule. Virgin Backlog Virgin Atlantic Airways Ltd., the U.K.’s second-biggest long-haul carrier, said on its website that 24 flights will operate to and from Heathrow today, or 60 percent of the usual total. The 16 flights canceled include trips to and from Miami, San Francisco, Dubai and Tokyo, according to the advice issued at 8 p.m. last night, local time. There is still a “massive backlog” of flights at Heathrow and it’s unlikely that delayed passengers will be rebooked for travel before Christmas Eve at the earliest, Virgin said. Though skies are clearing in some parts of the U.K., snow is forecast to fall in Wales and northwest England throughout the day, and until at least 2 p.m. in the Midlands and eastern England, according to the Met Office’s website. The state-funded organization also warned of “widespread icy roads.” Travel Peak Birmingham, Manchester and East Midlands airports, which lie within the snow band, remain open, according to their websites, though passengers are again advised to contact their airline before setting off. In Scotland, Edinburgh airport said that flights are operating with some delays and cancellations. The peak day for road travel in the U.K. will be tomorrow, according to the Automobile Association, Britain’s biggest car- rescue service. The company said Dec. 20 was the busiest day in its 105-year history, with more than 28,000 breakdowns. Paris’s Charles de Gaulle and Orly airports are open today, though flight delays remain possible, operator Aeroports de Paris said in an e-mailed statement. Dublin airport in Ireland should reopen this morning following more than 15 centimeters (6 inches) of snow yesterday, according to its website. Deutsche Lufthansa AG expects “almost regular” operations within Germany and across Europe as the weather improves, said a spokeswoman, Bettina Rittberger. Eurostar Delays Channel Tunnel rail operator Eurostar Group Ltd. said on its website that a “near normal” timetable should operate today, with the proviso that only passengers holding tickets will be able to travel. The first trains to Brussels and Paris left London on time today, though services will likely depart late and journey times will be longer as speed restrictions remain in place on some parts of the network. Delays were so severe yesterday that a line of passengers snaked 600 meters around London’s St Pancras station and the British Red Cross handed out blankets. U.K. long-distance train company East Coast, which links London with Edinburgh via Leeds and Newcastle upon Tyne, also anticipates a near-normal service today. French rail operations largely returned to schedule yesterday as snowstorms eased. The gradual reopening of Europe’s airports and railway lines has come too late for many travelers. Howard Rubel, a New York-based analyst at Jefferies & Co., had planned to spend Christmas on safari in Africa before his flights via Europe were canceled. After scanning schedules for alternative routes Rubel says he failed to find seats for his family and instead opted for a vacation in Florida. To contact the reporters on this story: Steven Rothwell in London at srothwell@bloomberg.net; Jack Jordan in London at jjordan22@bloomberg.net To contact the editors responsible for this story: Kenneth Wong kwong11@bloomberg.net; Colin Keatinge at ckeatinge@bloomberg.net

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