Flights were affected at Munich Airport in Germany on Feb. 19, according to reports
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NEED TO KNOW
- Flights at Munich Airport in Germany were affected by heavy snow on Thursday, Feb. 19,
- Several flights were canceled and passengers were left stuck on planes after airport staff went home, leaving no stairs for them to be able to depart the aircraft or buses to transport them to the terminal, according to reports
- Both Lufthansa airlines and the airport said they “deeply regret the inconvenience caused”
Around 500 passengers were forced to spend the night on grounded planes at an airport in Germany, according to reports.
According to German newspaper Bild, 123 passengers were due to fly from Munich to Copenhagen, Denmark, on Thursday, Feb. 19, with airline Lufthansa, but they ended up being stuck on the plane for eight hours.
Passengers on other Lufthansa flights were also affected, as well as two Air Dolomiti flights to Austria and Italy, with passengers also having to spend the night on the tarmac in their aircraft. Lufthansa reported that a total of around 500 passengers were affected, according to the outlet.
Passengers were already on board the flight to Copenhagen, which was scheduled to depart at 9:30 p.m. local time, when it was announced that the departure would be delayed due to heavy snow. According to the outlet, announcements were repeatedly made for almost two and a half hours, before the flight was canceled just before midnight.
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The outlet reported that the plane was parked at a remote stand and there were no buses to take passengers back to the terminal.
According to Danish newspaper Ekstra Bladet, passengers were told every 30 minutes that buses were trying to be organized for them. A passenger told the outlet that at around 2 a.m., they were then suddenly informed by airline staff that they could no longer get hold of anyone inside the airport and the airport was closed. This was due to the night flight ban in Munich from 12 a.m. to 5 a.m., per Bild.
Søren Thieme, the father of a family with young children on board the plane, claimed that passengers were told that all the bus drivers had gone home and that they were not allowed to leave the aircraft.
“There must be something we can do. We can just go to the airport, we ask. But we're not allowed to. It's forbidden, we're told. We're simply trapped here, along with the staff too,” Thieme told the outlet, per a translation.
Thieme went on to share that his family had been flying back from a vacation in Thailand, and the flight from Munich to Copenhagen was the final leg of their journey.
“We were really frustrated,” Thieme said. “We've been on the road for over 24 hours now. We should have been home in Denmark and sleeping by now. But the flight crew was also completely at a loss. We also don't get to know when they expect us to be able to get out.”
The passenger claimed to the outlet that passengers also didn't have proper food or drinks, just a few bottles of water, and no blankets, as the flight was only meant to be around 90 minutes long.
Passengers were finally able to depart the flight in the early hours of the morning after buses and stairs arrived at the aircraft.
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The family were rebooked on a new flight, but this was also delayed by an hour, according to the outlet.
“We're home in Denmark now, and it's nice to be home. Because at one point, the thought came to me whether we would even come home this weekend,” Thieme added.
Another passenger told Bild, “Flights can be canceled at any time, but leaving people on the plane indefinitely is unacceptable."
Lufthansa told Ekstra Bladet in a statement, "Due to the weather conditions on February 19th with heavy snowfall at Munich Airport, there were temporary runway closures and massive delays in de-icing procedures. As a result, there were delays and cancellations yesterday. The passengers have since been rebooked onto the next available flight."
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The statement continued, "The passengers on flight LH2446 to Copenhagen with 123 passengers (scheduled departure at 21:30) were also affected by weather-related irregularities. The aircraft had to remain on the apron following instructions from Munich Airport. Due to a lack of apron buses, the passengers could only be transported to the terminal in the early morning hours. Lufthansa deeply regrets the inconvenience this has caused to the passengers."
“We deeply regret the inconvenience caused,” a spokesperson for Munich Airport added, per Bild.
Lufthansa and Munich Airport did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
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