Passengers at one of the UK's major airports faced travel chaos on Friday (January 2), with several flights cancelled or diverted as a result of extreme weather. At least 10 flights to and from Aberdeen International Airport (ABZ) have been cancelled or delayed due to heavy snowfall in the Scottish city.

This comes after the Met Office issued a severe amber snow and ice warning for parts of northern and eastern Scotland from midday on Friday for 24 hours. According to Flightradar24, a Wideroe flight from Bergen (BGO) was forced to return to the Norway airport after failing to land in Aberdeen early this morning. Meanwhile, a German Airways flight due to depart from Amsterdam (AMS) at 8.30am local time was cancelled, as was a KLM flight on the same route hours later. Many of those planes that did manage to land were forced to circle the coast of Scotland several times before attempting to land, sparking severe delays.

Widerøe's WF392 flight from Bergen to Aberdeen was forced to return to Norway after the plane was seen circling the airport early this morning as it attempted to land.

A spokesperson said: "Widerøe's flight WF392 from Bergen to Aberdeen had to return to Bergen today due to heavy snowfall in Aberdeen. The runway at Aberdeen Airport was not well cleared of snow for a safe landing.

"While the aircraft was waiting in a holding pattern for conditions to improve, the airport was unable to prepare a runway with adequate braking conditions. As a result, the decision was made to return to Bergen.

"All passengers travelling from Bergen to Aberdeen, as well as those booked on the return flight from Aberdeen to Bergen, are being rebooked on later departures today. We apologize for the delays caused."

Meanwhile, an easyJet flight from Aberdeen to London Gatwick scheduled to depart at 06:10am was delayed by more than two hours. A spokesperson for the airline said: "Flight EZY856 from Aberdeen to London Gatwick this morning was delayed on departure due to air traffic control restrictions in place a result of adverse weather conditions, and has now arrived at London Gatwick. While this was outside of our control, we are sorry for any inconvenience this caused."

While flights are now landing more frequently at Aberdeen on Friday evening, according to recent flight tracking data, many aircraft are still being forced to circle above the city or coast before attempting a landing. For example, Widerøe's flight WF398 from Bergen, which was scheduled to arrive at 6.35pm local time, landed nearly an hour late, having circled over the Scottish coast at least seven times.

A Met Office yellow warning was already in place as far south as Angus and Perthshire, while two separate amber warnings of heavy snow in parts of the Highlands and north-east Scotland came into force at midday on Friday. The amber alert warns that accumulations of 10-20cm of snow are likely at low levels, with 30-40cm possible on high ground, while winds could lead to temporary blizzard conditions.

A spokesperson for Aberdeen International Airport said: "The airfield is currently operational and our teams will continue to work to clear snow and de-ice the airfield throughout the day.

"We would advise passengers to check the status of their flight with their airline and to take extra care when travelling to the airport."