Munich Comes To Standstill As Snowstorm Grounds Flights, Affects Train Schedule: Report

Flights were grounded and train schedules were affected in Munich as winterstorm dumped snow in Munich

A snow clearing vehicle at a street following a heavy snowfall on December 02, 2023 in Munich ( Image Source :Getty Images )

A snowstorm in the German city of Munich has brought the airport to a standstill grounding all the flights and also affecting the train schedules coming to and from the city. The winter storm has dumped snow across southern Germany and parts of Austria, Switzerland and the Czech Republic, affecting travel across the region, as per an Associated Press report. 

The Munich airport earlier announced a halt in air traffic on Saturday afternoon before announcing that the flights have been cancelled till 6 am on Sunday.

Other airports in the region including in the Swiss financial capital, Zurich, also announced weather-related delays and cancellations.

"Everything is closed. Online doesn't work. Well, you have to be patient... there's nothing you can do," Magda Shokosa, a stranded passenger at Munich Airport, said, as per Reuters. 

Train movement to and from Munich’s central station were also halted, said Germany’s national railway as it advised the passengers to delay or reroute their journeys. The affected rail traffic compelled some passengers in Munich and the nearby city of Ulm to spend night on trains due to the halt on Friday, reported news agency dpa.

Road transport also took the hit as no bus or trams were operating in Munich as of Saturday afternoon, the local transit authority said.

"We had to dig our way into the car park with shovels and then take a taxi because the buses weren't running," said another passenger, Brigitte Schloessel, according to Reuters. 

The weather also affected some subway and regional train lines, the report added. 

“Many thousands” of people experienced power outages across the state of Bavaria due to downed trees, the utility company Bayernwerk told dpa.

A football match between Bayern Munich and Union Berlink, which was originally slated for Saturday afternoon in Munich, was also called off, announced officials for Germany’s Bundesliga.