Snow in Istanbul led to 13 flights to and from the north’s Ercan (Tymbou) airport being cancelled on Friday.

The flights were cancelled after snow in and around the city saw Turkey’s transport ministry reduce Istanbul airport’s capacity by 15 per cent on Thursday and 20 per cent on Friday, while the city’s second airport, Sabiha Gokcen airport, reduced its own capacity by 10 per cent.

Weather forecasts have indicated that the depth of snow in the worst-impacted areas around Istanbul may reach as high as 40 centimetres by the time the snowstorms are set to subside next Monday.

The snow has also impacted land and sea routes, with Istanbul province governor Davut Gul announcing that from Saturday, motorcycles will be banned from taking to the roads.

Meanwhile, Turkey’s transport ministry announced on Friday that sea traffic in the Bosphorus was temporarily suspended due to fog, leaving the city’s islands cut off from the rest of the world and putting a strain on the city’s other intracity transport routes.

Elsewhere, schools across the Istanbul province were closed due to the weather, while 1,100 homeless people were placed in shelter and accommodation centres.

The north has more flights to Istanbul than to any other destination, with many connecting through the city’s two airports to fly further afield given that the north only has direct flights to Turkey.