In Germany, all 165 passengers and six crew escaped unhurt from a plane that skidded off the runway at Dortmund Airport early on Sunday.

The Air Berlin Boeing 737 was heading to Las Palmas in the Canary Islands. Dortmund airport, in northern Germany, has been closed until further notice and passengers sent to other airports. A combination of snowy weather and a technical irregularity forced the pilot to abort take-off at the last moment.

Large parts of Germany have experienced heavy snowfall in the past few days, affecting other airports throughout the country. In Frankfurt several flights were delayed or cancelled.

Air Berlin aircraft by A. Schwenke (Flickr)