UPDATE: Early morning flights were grounded still Thursday morning. As of 8 am, arrivals are expected to land from 8:45 am.
Departures are a mix of cancellations, delays and boarding. Flights to London airports are cancelled, but service to Paris is operating (flights are boarding).
The snowfall predicted by Météo-France came late in the afternoon Wednesday, February 28, but by 6 pm, departures at Nice-Côte d’Azur airport were either delayed or cancelled.
As of 7 pm, all flights were grounded, although some arrivals did land after 9 pm.
The airport stated on Wednesday: “Air traffic may be disrupted due to bad weather conditions (snow) tonight and tomorrow, on Thursday, March 1.”
The airport advises passengers to check traffic conditions and flight status in real time on their website: Arrivals and Departures.
For further information, passengers should call their airlinedirectly or contact the airport’s Call Centre at 0820 423 333 (€0.12/minute).
Are you in a Monaco winter wonderland? Share your pics: editor@monacolife.net
Article first published February 28, 2018. Homepage photo: Instagram aeroportnice
Serge Telle and Stéphane Valeri. Photo: Facebook Gouvernement Monaco
Minister of State Serge Telle paid a courtesy call Wednesday morning to the new President of the National Council, Stéphane Valerie, whose party “Primo” enjoyed a landslide election victory on February 11.
In an unrelated event, two hours later the Minister of State issued a press statement, having taken issue with an open letter sent to him by Mr Dupond-Moretti concerning the ongoing problems with the state-owned Jardins d’Apolline building in the Condamine.
The Minister said that he was surprised to see that the company SATRI, which has not failed to express itself in the press while remaining silent as part of the ongoing expertise, should question a decision of the Government concerning an exclusive property of the State.
Pointing out that many Monegasques face an exceptional and unprecedented situation, Minister Telle said: “Monegasques are severely impacted in their daily lives by a succession of disasters that affect their homes. These, unfortunately, are not limited to the damage reported by the company,” he said, referring to SATRI, the construction company that is part of the Marzocco Group.
Apartments in the complex have been badly affected by faulty plumbing, necessitating the temporary rehousing of many tenants and ongoing disruption to their daily lives as work on fixing the problems continues.
He added that, contrary to the allegations contained in the letter of Mr Dupond-Moretti, judicial proceedings are not compromised by the beginning of the (remedial) work, and that nothing will prevent justice from establishing individual responsibilities.
Referring to the fact that the Government has accelerated repair work, the Minister said it is acting diligently in the general public interest and in that of the Monegasques concerned. The Minister said that he regrets that the company, “which defends only its private interests, does not show the necessary serenity, especially since at this stage the state intervenes at its own considerable expense”.
He also pointed out that the current enquiry into responsibility for the building’s defects does not depend on the Government, but on the judicial authorities.
As the Beast from the East continues to grip Europe, the death toll from the extreme cold has reached 46 since last Friday, with 18 deaths in Poland alone.
On Wednesday, February 28, a total of 26 French Departments were placed on orange alert for heavy snow, including the Alpes-Maritimes, and two others for strong winds.
Burgundy and the Paris region were anticipating heavy snowfalls on Wednesday evening. The Météo France weather service has warned of difficult driving conditions in the South of France, with the bad weather slowly moving north. A low of -14.1°C was recorded at Fontainebleau on Wednesday morning.
The A9 motorway between Orange and Narbonne was closed by order of the local prefecture. By Thursday afternoon conditions in the southwest are expected to improve, with temperatures reaching 16°C in Bordeaux.
Monaco, can expect a daytime high of 9°C on Thursday and 12°C on Friday, with overnight temperatures of 2°C and 6°C. However, heavy rain and strong winds will continue to prevail.
Seven months ago, on August 1, 2017, the region was at the height of a heatwave when temperatures in the Principality reached 33°C.
The website of the Annales Monegasques, the historical publication of the Archives of the Prince’s Palace, brings together all the issues published since the creation of the magazine in 1977.
In addition to the paper editions, which can be obtained through the site, a downloadable PDF version of the articles is available. It’s also possible to order from an important selection of books on the history of Monaco.
The website has been improved to provide a full-text search engine with the ability to find a word or phrase – such as a person or place name – in context in the relevant numbers and articles, opening up for the curious scholar new perspectives of research.
An online subscription module has also been set up. Until June 30, readers can subscribe to number 42 and benefit from a €5 discount (€25 instead of €30). This pre-purchase order will also provides the opportunity to consult and download free of charge, and until the publication of the following issue, all items in the collection over the past four decades on www.annales-monegasques.mc
The second weekend of March will see a preview in Nice of the F1 French Grand Prix, due to be held on June 24. Nice is very much involved in the French Grand Prix, as it is one of the organisers together with the Nice-Côte d’Azur Metropolis in partnership with Renault.
Mayor of Nice Christian Estrosi, the event president, told local French daily Nice-Matin that upstream of the race, a number of promotional events will be held in Nice, Toulon and Marseille, of which the March weekend in Nice is the first.
Four-time world champion Alain Prost will be part of the F1 promotion on the Promenade des Anglais, driving his historic Formula 1 Renault. German driver Niko Hulkenberg will also be present, in a more recent car, the organisers have said. Autograph sessions, the sale of F1 goodies and other attractions are planned for March 10 and 11.
The Paul-Ricard circuit of Le Castellet will host the French F1 Grand Prix on June 24, after ten years of silence.
The first day of March sees a number of price changes in France. Predictably, the cost of a packet of cigarettes will jump again, by around 10 percent, as the French government looks for ways to increase its tax income while also acting in the best health interests of smokers.
A pack of 20 Marlboro Red and Gold will increase to 70 cents to €8. Camel and Gauloise Blonde will also increase to the same price, while Lucky Strike Red, Winfield and Winston Red will jump from €6.80 to €7.80.
Meanwhile natural gas prices are set to fall, by three percent for heating, 1.8 percent for cooking and hot water combined, and one percent for cooking. The welcome drop in price follows an increase of 6.9 percent in January. The regulated gas prices are determined by wholesale gas and oil prices.
