Nothing is working at Munich Airport again: air traffic had just started tentatively again after the heavy snowfall at the weekend – now the airport has completely suspended flight operations again, as announced. All areas were iced over due to freezing rain, said a spokesman for the German Press Agency. There should therefore be no take-offs and landings from the start of operations at 6 a.m. to 12 p.m. According to the airport’s online arrival and departure schedule, all listed flights had been canceled or postponed to a later date.
At least 300 takeoffs and landings are canceled
“The operating areas will be de-iced in the first half of the day. The plan is to allow air traffic to start again from midday,” the airport writes on its homepage. “However, it can be assumed that a large number of flights will have to be canceled later in the day for safety reasons.” The airport announced on Monday that at least 300 take-offs and landings of the planned 770 flight movements will be cancelled.
Lufthansa offers free cancellations
Flight operations in Erdinger Moos were also severely restricted on Monday. Almost two thirds of the planned flights were canceled – 550 out of 850 flights. Restrictions were announced until at least the middle of the week. Lufthansa offers its flight customers the opportunity to cancel tickets they have already booked to or from Munich free of charge up to the flight date of Saturday, December 9th.
Stranded passengers spend the night on camp beds
On Monday evening, around 1,500 passengers were still stranded at the airport, the spokesman said. Among other things, they would spend the night on camp beds in the airport and be provided with drinks and food. On the X platform, passengers complained on Monday that promised connecting flights had been canceled several times.
Munich is the second largest German airport and an important hub for international air traffic. International passengers in particular were stranded, some of whom did not have a visa to enter the country, so they spent the night at the airport.
Further major restrictions on rail traffic
Deutsche Bahn (DB) also warned of severe disruptions to rail traffic due to the winter weather in southern Germany. The railway announced via the online service X, formerly Twitter, that passengers would have to expect restrictions until December 6th. In the greater Munich area alone, more than 80 overhead line faults had to be repaired on Monday.
According to the DB, all trains on the Munich – Salzburg, Munich – Innsbruck and Munich – Lindau/Zurich routes are currently cancelled. In addition, access to Munich Central Station is limited, which is why only a few long-distance trains run there, it was said. Passengers are advised to postpone their trips to and from Munich. Restrictions on the Munich S-Bahn and trams must also be expected for a longer period of time.