Early on January 5 2009, Sofia Airport is fully operational and there are no cancelled flights due to weather conditions, Bulgarian Telegraph Agency reported, quoting airport management. Runways are clear of snow and any cancelled flights are due to the relevant airlines' business decisions, not inclement weather conditions. Some minimal delays of 20 minutes, however, have been reported.

It took three days for passengers on board low-cost carrier Easy Jet, on a direct London-Sofia flight to get home, after the plane was re-directed to Bucharest, the Romanian capital, because of bad weather in Sofia, Focus news agency reported.

After spending two nights at a local hotel, passengers were transported by a bus late on January 4 2009. Incidents like this were not isolated cases following snowfalls that began at the end of the previous week, Focus said.

At the time of this report, all roads in Bulgaria are passable, the National Road Infrastructure Agency (NRIA) has said as quoted by Focus. Limited visibility has been reported near Mezdra in south-west Bulgaria and the region of Muglizh, near Stara Zagora.

Passes Etropole-Zlatitsa, Tvurditsa-Elena, Troyan-Kurnare and Vurbitsa remain closed. All lorries and automobiles travelling through Rozhen, Pamporovo, Prevala, Dyulinski and Predela must use snow chains. The same is valid when driving on the Sunny Beach-Obzor, Papazchair and Topolovgrad, Sliven-Stara reka, Sliven-Kotel and Kroumovgrad roads, NRIA has warned.

Citing the Interior Ministry, Focus news reported about 10 road accidents nationwide over the last 24 hours, which left 16 people injured but no fatalities. In the Sofia region 97 minor accidents have been reported but no injuries.

The New Year began with 46 accidents throughout the country and five fatalities.

Vladislav Prelezov, a spokesperson from the Ministry of Emergency Situations, has said that no areas in the country have been affected by power or water cuts following heavy snowfalls. Prelezov advised people experiencing any weather-related difficulties to call the national emergency phone on 112.