Air and Train Travel Still Impacted by Snow in Southern Germany

Travel through southern Germany is still recovering after almost a foot of snow was dumped on the area in and around Munich on Saturday.  

According to Munich Airport, and data from FlightAware, flights resumed on Sunday, a day after snow shut down the airport. More than half of Sunday’s flights were canceled.

Still, even as traffic continues to improve, there are a significant number of delays on Monday as Saturday’s snow continues to impact the area.  

“There are still severe restrictions in air traffic. The flight schedule has been greatly reduced due to the airlines’ cancellations,” Munich Airport, which is Germany’s second-busiest hub, wrote in a message on social media on Monday morning.

“We therefore recommend you, if you are flying today or tomorrow to check the status of your flight with your airline or contact the airline directly before arriving at the airport.”

Many hard-working hands at @muc_airport ????. Thank you for that! Air traffic is slowly starting again. Unfortunately, many flights are still canceled. Please check the flight status on https://t.co/MY8hWjB53h & in the app before traveling to the airport. Thank you! pic.twitter.com/jdkV8qnNhw

— Lufthansa (@lufthansa) December 3, 2023

Lufthansa, which is the biggest airport operating at Munich Airport, said on Sunday that many of its flights are canceled and that all of its passengers should check the Lufthansa website or app before heading to the airport. 

It’s not just air travel being impacted, either. Rail travel around Southern Germany was also hit hard by the snow. Trains are operating, albeit on a limited basis.

Deutsche Bahn, the national railway in Germany, said on Monday that rail traffic in Southern Germany is “expected to be severely affected until the middle of the week” and that “massive restrictions are still to be expected in the greater Munich area.”

Long-distance trains from Munich, including routes to Salzburg, Innsbruck, and Lindau/Zurich, won’t restart until Tuesday, and even then it is likely that only limited train service will be running.

“We therefore expect a very high capacity utilization of the trains and continue to recommend postponing journeys to and from Munich,” Deutsche Bahn said.

Travel on Austrian railway company OeBB is also still impacted. Passengers are being told to check the OeBB website for the most up-to-date info on that schedule.

Die Aufräumarbeiten nach den starken Schneefällen schreiten voran & die Lage entspannt sich. Unser Team arbeitet weiter auf Hochtouren an der Behebung der Schäden. Einige Strecken sind noch unterbrochen & es kommt zu Verspätungen & Ausfällen. Infos: https://t.co/Gjtfc4wqYn
© ÖBB pic.twitter.com/WJVfiTs89O

— ÖBB (@unsereOEBB) December 3, 2023

“The clean-up work after the heavy snowfall is progressing and the situation is easing. Our team continues to work at full speed to repair the damage. Some routes are still interrupted & there are delays & cancellations,” OeBB said on Monday.