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    Heathrow Defends Grounding Flights In Snow

    Heathrow Airport has said normal service has resumed - and defended the flight cancellations that left thousands of passengers stranded during Sunday's snow.

    In a statement, the airport said: "Heathrow is open and our usual flight schedule is operating.

    "There will, however, be a handful of cancellations as result of (Sunday's) disruption.

    "We advise passengers to contact their airlines to check before they come to the airport."

    On Saturday night up to 6.3in (16cm) of snow covered much of the UK, creating treacherous driving conditions and disrupting rail and road travel .

    But as the snow melted only 50% of the 1,300 scheduled flights at Heathrow went ahead , angering travellers who faced a sleepless night on terminal floors.

    The airport has insisted its snow plan had worked "far better" than in previous years, saying the move was designed to minimise disruption as staff worked to clear a backlog of flights.

    A spokesman said: "We took the decision with airlines and air traffic control to reduce the flight schedule in advance.

    "By cancelling flights in advance, airlines have been able to rebook some people on to flights that are departing, and passengers have had better quality information about whether they can fly or not."

    Transport Secretary Justine Greening has defended the airport's decision, claiming bosses had taken the "right approach".

    The airport came under heavy criticism after wintry weather in December 2010 caused an almost complete shutdown.

    At the height of the chaos, on December 19, it was able to handle only around 20 flights and thousands of passengers were stranded overnight in terminals.

    A BAA-commissioned report concluded that the operator's response was "initially ineffective" and that the potential impact of the weather had not been fully anticipated.

    The conditions affecting the UK are part of a European-wide cold snap that has caused more than 300 deaths.