Across the Rhine, around a hundred flights were canceled, while across the Channel, several airports and roads had to be closed.
Published on 05/01/2025 12:15
Updated on 05/01/2025 12:35
Reading time: 2min
Several German airports changed their schedules on Sunday January 5. Due to snowfall and freezing rain in Germany, 120 takeoffs and landings were canceled out of around 1,090 scheduled for the day at Frankfurt, the country’s largest airport. “The take-off and landing runways must be cleared” et “airplane de-icing is also more complex and more demanding”reported a spokesperson. Poor visibility in the sky also disrupts air traffic.
In Munich, 35 flights were canceled as a precaution on Saturday evening, out of a total of 750 scheduled departures and landings at Germany’s second largest airport, according to a spokesperson. The disruptions even began on Friday evening at Berlin-Brandenburg airport, with 30 flights disrupted, including 17 canceled due to icy conditions in the capital.
Further north, several centimeters of snow fell in England and Wales overnight from Saturday to Sunday, causing significant transport disruptions. Manchester and Liverpool airports have temporarily closed their runways. The first wrote on X shortly before 10 a.m. (11 a.m. in Paris) that its runways were reopened, but that delays were still possible, advising passengers to contact their airline. At Liverpool Airport, “the teams [ont travaillé] working hard to clear the track”the organization announced on X. The slopes were reopened at 10:15 a.m. (11:15 a.m. in Paris). Traffic also resumed at Birmingham and Bristol airports, where the runways had been closed overnight.
Snow also affects traffic on the roads. Operator National Highways reported that several roads in northern England were closed overnight. In Hampshire (southern England), part of the northbound motorway was also closed on Sunday morning due to flooding due to snow that fell overnight. At least one train line, in the Leeds region (north of the country), has been closed. Power was also cut to several homes across England and Wales.