France's Charles de Gaulle airport frozen

French aviation authorities canceled about a third of the flights into and out of Paris's main airport Friday because of freezing conditions, stranding hundreds of passengers a day before Christmas.

Charles de Gaulle airport is running low on reserves of ethylene glycol, the liquid used to de-ice planes, said Eric Heraud, a spokesman for the General Direction of Civilian Aviation. The problem has been compounded by a strike at the main plant that makes de-icing fluid in France, Transportation Minister Thierry Mariani said in a radio interview with France Inter. Authorities ordered airlines to cancel 400 of 1,160 flights due to land or take off from Charles de Gaulle, Mr. Heraud said, Wall Street Journal reports.

In Britain, major airports said services were operating largely as normal as the country thawed out from days of frosty weather. However, Christmas travelers were contending with reduced rail services and icy roads. About a quarter of services were canceled on some rail routes.

While the situation was on the mend at London's airports, Ireland risked plunging for a second day into travel chaos.

Aer Lingus and Ryanair say they both are attempting a full schedule Friday. But they voiced fears that snow may be lurking behind thee blue skies, just like Thursday when an unexpected blizzard caught Dublin off guard, The Associated Press informs.