Munich, Frankfurt flights canceled amid winter weather

Snow and ice have impacted flight operations at three of Germany's major airports, with some flights having to be canceled.

"Due to the predicted weather conditions, flight operations are expected to be restricted and flights canceled on Sunday, January 5, especially in the morning,” Munich Airport said on its website.

Frankfurt Airport warned of similar disruptions and cancellations during the morning hours and advised travelers to check on the status of their flights before making their way to the airport.

Various flights had to be canceled at Frankfurt, including departures to famous European destinations such as Paris, Venice and Prague.

Of the 1,090 take-offs and landings planned during the course of Sunday, 120 were canceled, a spokesman for the airport operator Fraport told German news agency DPA.

Stuttgart Airport in southwestern Germany also reported several delays due to the winter weather, although the runway had been cleared and was ready for operations. Some planes have to be de-iced before takeoff, delaying departure times.

Berlin Brandenburg Airport cut the number of arrivals on Sunday evening in half due to the threat of sleet, a spokesperson told dpa news agency. 

Only 20, rather than 40 planes, would be allowed to land per hour in the German capital's airport to ensure the safe handling of the aircraft, the spokesperson said. 

Reduced visibility at airports

German news agency DPA cited a spokesperson for Munich Airport as saying that reduced visibility due to snowfall had led to longer intervals between take-offs and landings, while aircraft also needed to be de-iced.

The spokesman said that one runway was being kept open while the other was being cleared.

The German weather service has issued warnings of severe weather conditions, particularly in Bavaria, where freezing rain and black ice was expected.

German rail operator Deutsche Bahn (DB), meanwhile, also earlier warned that the weather conditions were impacting some of its operations. It said long distance services had been disrupted with lengthy delays and in some cases complete cancellation of train journeys.

Later in the morning, the rail operator said that train traffic had started returning to normal and reported delays of up 30 minutes as well as partial cancellation of trains in some cases.

kb/wd (dpa, DW sources)