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Passengers with suitcases in the snow: Nothing worked at Munich Airport on Saturday

Photo: Karl-Josef Hildenbrand / dpa

Since Sunday at 6 a.m., planes have been taking off and landing in Munich again. This was announced by Munich Airport on its website in the morning. However, there will continue to be restrictions on air traffic, it said. Passengers were asked to check the status of their flight before travelling.

Due to the severe onset of winter in Bavaria, flight operations were temporarily suspended on Saturday. According to pictures, numerous passengers spent the night at the airport.

Other airports also felt the effects of the lockdown in Munich. Frankfurt and Nuremberg airports, for example, picked up aircraft that could no longer fly to Munich.

The heavy snowfall on Saturday night had paralyzed large parts of southern Germany in particular – including rail traffic. The south of Bavaria was particularly affected. Munich's main railway station could no longer be served, and numerous regional trains no longer ran.

Helicopters to fly over railway lines

According to a spokeswoman for Deutsche Bahn, the closure of Munich's main train station should last until at least 10 a.m. on Sunday. The railway wants to start operations as soon as possible, but first control flights by helicopters along the routes are necessary, it said. These are dependent on daylight.

Trees that had collapsed under the weight of snow had blocked railway lines on Saturday night. Among others, the following routes are affected:

  • Munich – Nuremberg

  • Munich – Stuttgart

  • From Munich to Salzburg, Innsbruck and Lindau/Zurich

  • From Stuttgart to Singen/Zurich

Deutsche Bahn recommended postponing trips to and from Munich planned for Sunday. In addition, there could also be "weather-related train cancellations and delays" in other parts of southern Germany. Due to the extent of the damage, train cancellations and delays are also to be expected for Monday.

There were traffic jams and accidents on the roads on Saturday. Clearance services were in continuous operation. On Sunday morning, the situation eased a bit. According to the German Weather Service (DWD), further fresh snow is expected to be largely absent on Sunday.

kko/dpa