Snow Strands 500 Passengers Overnight on German Airport Planes

Heavy snowfall at Munich Airport on February 19th led to significant disruptions, forcing approximately 500 passengers to spend the night on grounded airplanes. Flights, including Lufthansa's service to Copenhagen and Air Dolomiti's flights to Austria and Italy, experienced prolonged delays and cancellations.

Passengers on a Lufthansa flight to Copenhagen, scheduled to depart at 9:30 p.m., were kept on the aircraft for eight hours before the flight was ultimately canceled just before midnight. Due to a night flight ban from 12 a.m. to 5 a.m. and the unavailability of ground transportation, passengers were unable to disembark to the terminal.

Passengers reported inadequate provisions, including limited water and no blankets, as the flight was only intended for a short duration. The situation was compounded by communication issues and the inability to organize buses to transfer passengers. Eventually, in the early morning hours, buses and stairs were provided, allowing passengers to leave the aircraft.

Lufthansa and Munich Airport have both expressed deep regret for the inconvenience caused by the weather-related disruptions and stated that affected passengers have been rebooked on the next available flights. The incident highlights the challenges faced during severe weather events at airports.