Seoul’s main airport, Incheon, was the worst affected, with passengers facing delays of about two hours on average, while 31 per cent of flights were delayed and 16 pe cent cancelled on Thursday, plane tracking website Flightradar24 showed.

South Korea grappled with heavy snowfall for a second day on Thursday, with dozens of flights cancelled, ferry operations suspended and at least four people reported dead in a bitter winter, though conditions showed signs of easing.

More than 140 flights were cancelled and ferry services suspended after unusually heavy November snowfall caused chaos.