Airports in three major European cities closed as severe weather causes travel disruption

Icy weather has forced airports in parts of Europe to close with a number of flights disrupted - this is a breaking story

Icy weather has forced airports in parts of central Europe to close with a number of flights disrupted.

Airport in Budapest in Hungary, Vienna in Austria, Bratislava in Slovakia and Prague in the Czech Republic briefly shut on Tuesday morning amid freezing weather conditions.

Budapest Airport announced it would not be receiving and launching flights from 10.25am local time (9.25am GMT) amid "black ice", the airport said on Facebook.

Vienna International Airport has also been forced to shut after a thick layer of ice formed on the hub's runways and kept freezing up again after efforts to clear it, a spokesperson said. Flights were diverted to other airports. Austria's state railway company OeBB also asked people to postpone non-urgent journeys, with numerous train services hit by disruptions and cancellations.

In neighbouring Slovakia, Bratislava Airport also closed early on Tuesday due to the weather, with Slovak police urging people on Facebook to avoid travel.

Václav Havel Airport Prague, Prague's international airport, also announced that it would be operating "only in a very limited mode". "Due to intense freezing rain, arrivals are being restricted to allow for de-icing of the main runway, taxiways, and aircraft stands," the airport wrote on X. "These arrival restrictions will cause flight delays throughout the day."