Thousands of flights cancelled over US storm

Delta Airlines Reports Disruptions Due to Winter Weather
Delta Airlines stated that a "worse-than-expected mix of winter weather" prompted the shutdown of all five runways at Atlanta International Airport for over two hours.

Flight Cancellations
The carrier announced that it "canceled approximately 1,100 flights across our network" on Friday, while working to recover operations heading into Saturday.

Incident During Take-Off
In a separate incident, a Delta plane had to abort take-off in Atlanta due to an engine problem. More than 200 passengers and crew aboard the Boeing 757-300 had to exit via emergency slides, as reported by US media citing a company statement.

Impact on Other Airports
Dallas Fort Worth (Texas) and Charlotte Douglas (North Carolina) were also affected by the severe weather, resulting in over 1,200 flight cancellations across the two airports, according to FlightAware.

Total Cancellations Recorded
The tracking website recorded more than 3,000 cancellations in total on Friday across multiple airports.

Previous Winter Storm Effects
Earlier in the week, the United States was already hit by a winter storm, which left at least five people dead and prompted hundreds of flight cancellations as it swept across the center and eastern regions of the country.

Extreme Cold Conditions
Temperatures plummeted below zero degrees Fahrenheit (-18 degrees Celsius) in some areas, leaving tens of thousands of people without electricity.