A new round of snowfall, which hit Istanbul late Thursday and is expected to continue throughout the weekend, has led to flight cancellations.
Turkey's flag carrier, Turkish Airlines (THY), has canceled 100 flights scheduled for Saturday. "Due to the bad weather conditions, 100 flights scheduled for March 19 to and from Istanbul were canceled, including 80 flights at Istanbul Airport and 20 at Sabiha Gökçen Airport," the airlines said in a statement.
"Due to severe weather conditions expected in Istanbul on March 19 - 20, some of our flights from/to Sabiha Gokcen Airport have been canceled," the flag carrier said in a later announcement.
"Passengers whose flights have been canceled can complete the change or refund process through our website, mobile application, call center at +90 850 333 0 849, and the agency from which they purchased the ticket, until the flight time," Turkish Airlines added in the statement.
Sabiha Gökçen Airport is Istanbul's main air hub on the city's Asian side.
Snowfall is not expected to be strong as it was last week or in January when it brought daily life to a halt but the authorities already took precautions. The Istanbul Governorate announced that all public and private schools were closed due to snowfall on Friday while pregnant and disabled civil servants have been put on administrative leave for the day. The city's Mayor Ekrem Imamoğlu had advised the city's residents to refrain from driving on Friday and take mass transit instead, in a bid to reduce the traffic from worsening amid the snow.
