Heavy snow forces SAS flight back to Stockholm and disrupts Oslo Airport

Heavy snowfall disrupted flights in Sweden and Norway on Thursday, 12 November. An SAS flight from Stockholm Arlanda to Skellefteå returned to Stockholm, while snow clearance at Oslo Gardermoen caused cancellations and delays of up to five hours.

SAS told Expressen that severe weather at Skellefteå Airport forced the aircraft to return to Arlanda. The aircraft circled for more than 20 minutes before passengers were told it could not land because of snow. The crew also ruled out Luleå because of poor weather. Sweden’s meteorological institute, SMHI, warned that snowfall could reach one metre locally. The red warning for Skellefteå and areas to the north was lifted at 08:00 on Friday, though lower-level warnings remained in force.

At Oslo Gardermoen, NRK reported around 13 cancellations at the height of the disruption. Domestic and international services were delayed, and passengers queued at service desks, with some struggling to find overnight accommodation. Airport operator Avinor said earlier interruptions for snow clearance had caused knock-on delays and that crews would continue clearing snow overnight.