“Tuesday, December 5th, 2023, 12:01 a.m. – 3:00 a.m. Official WARNING of IMPORTANT SMOOTHNESS. There is an increased risk of slippery conditions due to freezing rain. Recommendations for action: avoid unnecessary stays outdoors and trips or adapt behavior in road traffic.” This report from the German Weather Service on Monday afternoon is the reason why nothing is happening at Munich Airport this Tuesday until at least 12 p.m. Air traffic is suspended for safety reasons. At least 150 takeoffs and 160 landings are affected.
This means restrictions for passengers who wanted to leave or land from MUC today. Above all, hundreds of passengers are affected who were stranded at the airport due to the heavy snowfall at the weekend and have been waiting in the terminals there for days.
A spokesman emphasized that the new closure had nothing to do with the flight restrictions that the airport imposed on Saturday and Sunday – rather with last winter. At that time, on December 14th – a Wednesday – the airport closed its two runways due to freezing precipitation, from 2:15 p.m. during ongoing operations.
Within the next three quarters of an hour, more than 130 flights were canceled, 26 aircraft that were on approach had to be diverted within Germany or were sent to Austria. In order to avoid a similar scenario, the decision was made to block it early this time. It is said that this is easier to implement for airport operations and airlines.
Passengers planning to arrive at the airport today are urged to check the status of their flight before departing. And all day long. The airport normally opens at 5 a.m. and operations start at 6 a.m. The closure officially applies until 12 p.m. Before it is lifted, the top traffic manager must coordinate with several authorities.
The “freezing rain” weather phenomenon doesn’t just affect machines. The workers who are busy on the so-called apron, loading luggage or maintaining the machines, can also slip. Passengers who are taken to the planes by bus should also get there safely. The flight ban is not just about preventing crashes.
The fact that it was said also had to do with the weather on Monday. There was fog in the Erdinger Moos early in the evening. This moisture increased the likelihood of ice forming at night. As a preventive measure, the runways and the so-called aircraft positions – i.e. the parking spaces for the aircraft – were treated with de-icing agent. This should also help you get started more quickly on Tuesday.
Winter service at the airport involves almost 180 vehicles. A total of 600 women and men are employed, 520 of whom actually work in agriculture or for trucking companies in the region around the airport. There are 150 to 200 helpers on duty per shift – the day is divided into two twelve-hour units. In recent years, up to 15,000 machines per season have been sprayed with de-icing agent before taking off.
When it was closed last year, the airport gradually returned to operation after the freezing rain. First, the northern runway was reopened for landings, and later the southern one. Starts were only possible again in the evening.
The effects of the lockdown are massive this time too. Lufthansa has canceled all twelve of its connections between Berlin’s major airport and Munich for Tuesday – including those in the afternoon. Because the airline is the only one that operates on the route, there will be no scheduled flights between BER and MUC.