London's Heathrow Airport returned almost to normal today after heavy snow forced hundreds of flight cancellations over the weekend, leaving thousands of passengers stranded.

"Heathrow is open and our usual flight schedule is operating today," said a statement from the airport, the world's busiest air hub in terms of international passenger traffic.

"There will, however, be a handful of cancellations as result of yesterday's disruption. We advise passengers to contact their airlines to check before they come to the airport."

Heathrow had cancelled half of the 1,300 flights planned for Sunday as snow and fog descended on Britain, part of a European-wide cold snap that has claimed more than 300 lives.