6,000 people spend night at airport as heavy snow hits Hokkaido, Japan
Around 6,000 people were forced to spend Friday night at New Chitose Airport in Japan’s Hokkaido Island after about 280 flights were canceled as the northern Japanese prefecture was hit by its heaviest December snowfall in 50 years, the Mainichi news agency reports citing the airport administration.
The number of people stranded overnight at the airport's passenger terminal building was the most since its opening in 1992, the operator Hokkaido Airport Terminal Co. said.
Suspension of some flight services on Saturday continued to cause congestion at the airport, which serves the prefectural capital Sapporo.
It was also noted that the operation of more than 330 trains, including all morning services to and from Sapporo Station, was suspended on Saturday as the task of clearing snow took longer than predicted.