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Germany: Munich Airport resumes flights after heavy snowfall

Published December 3, 2023last updated December 3, 2023

Although operations have resumed at Germany's second-busiest airport, over 500 planned flights have been canceled. Severe winter weather is also impacting train travel in southern Germany.

https://p.dw.com/p/4Zih4
An airplane covered in snow sits on runway at Munich Airport amid a heavy snow storm.
The southern German state of Bavaria, including the city of Munich, was badly affected by the snowfallImage: Karl-Josef Hildenbrand/dpa

Flight operations resumed at Munich Airport at 6 a.m. local time (0500 GMT) on Sunday after heavy snowfall ground air traffic to a halt, the operating company announced on its website.

Flights were suspended at the airport on Saturday amid the onset of severe winter weather across southern Germany. 

The operating company said that although flights had now resumed, there would still be "restrictions in air traffic." It urged passengers to check the status of their flight with their airline "well in advance" before traveling to the airport.

Although operations are once again possible, a majority of the planned flights for Sunday have been cancelled, news agency dpa reported.

Out of around 880 flights planned for Sunday, some 560 have been cancelled, an airport spokesperson told dpa. 

Train travel also disrupted

The large amount of snow, unusual so early in the season, paralyzed much of the state of Bavaria and its capital, Munich.

The city's main railway station was shut down for several hours on Sunday morning. Rail operator Deutsche Bahn said that some long distance trains were once again operating, but urged passengers who planned on traveling in the region on Monday to consider postponing their plans.

Helicopters are being used to check the tracks and fly along the routes, reported local public broadcaster Bayerische Rundfunk.

The broadcaster also reported the situation was "chaotic" on Sunday morning at Munich's main train station, with passengers standing in a line "several hundred meters long" seeking information.

At the height of the bad weather on Saturday, thousands of homes suffered power outages and scores of traffic accidents were reported on the state's roads. The heavy snowfall also increased the risk of avalanches in the Bavarian Alps.

rs, nm/wd (AFP, dpa)