Munich Airport back in operation

After freezing rain and heavy snowfall paralyzed traffic in parts of Bavaria for days, things are slowly improving: the first planes are taking off from Munich Airport and train services are also starting up again. But it's not all good news. An accident caused by icy roads ends tragically.

After a six-hour interruption due to the forecast of freezing rain, Munich Airport has resumed operations. At 12 noon, the first Lufthansa plane from New York landed, according to a spokesperson. Air traffic should now gradually resume. There had been no take-offs and landings since the start of operations at 6 am. The airport had already announced the interruption to air traffic on Monday evening with reference to the forecast freezing rain. According to the information, passengers in Munich must continue to expect "massive restrictions". Around 100 of the 770 take-offs and landings originally planned for Tuesday are still expected in the afternoon, the spokesperson said.

The northern part of the airport in particular had been heavily affected by icy rain. The winter services had had to remove a thick layer of ice with great effort. The decision to temporarily suspend operations due to the forecast freezing rain was necessary for safety reasons. Hundreds of travelers were still stranded at Munich Airport on Tuesday. They were provided with food and drink. Camp beds were also available. Heavy snowfall in large parts of Bavaria had already severely disrupted airport operations at the weekend.

The German Weather Service (DWD) is also expecting danger from freezing rain and icy conditions in the coming nights, especially in the south and east of Bavaria. According to the spokesperson, it is difficult to predict in advance whether flight operations in Munich could be temporarily halted again.

First trains running again in Bavaria

Following the massive disruptions caused by the onset of winter in Bavaria, the first long-distance trains from Munich to Austria are due to start running again later today. Initially, "very few trains" are planned on the routes to Salzburg and Kufstein, a railroad spokeswoman said. The company also expects improvements in the course of the day for train connections between the Bavarian capital, Stuttgart and Nuremberg. The situation is also slowly easing on regional services around Munich. Trains are running again on several of the S-Bahn's outer routes in the surrounding area. So far, however, only one line, the S3, is running on its entire regular route.

In order to make the lines passable again more quickly, Deutsche Bahn has ordered additional snow clearing vehicles to Bavaria from Baden-Württemberg and Hesse, among other places. More than 20 machines are now in use there. Experts were examining whether this number could be increased. However, the persistent winter weather and freezing rain are making the clearing work more difficult. Passengers are still being asked to postpone non-essential journeys until Wednesday.

Munich residents have to wait longer for mail

Although the traffic situation has already eased, the people of Munich still have to wait a little longer. Due to snow and icy conditions, many people in the south of Bavaria are having to wait longer than usual for parcels and letters. According to the DHL Group, Post and DHL were unable to deliver any letters and parcels in Munich at the weekend. Because there were hardly any trains and buses running, many employees were also unable to get to work. As a result, letters and parcels are still backed up in some distribution centers. These volumes could "only be reduced in the coming days", a company spokeswoman said.

"We are doing everything we can to keep the restrictions in and around Munich as low as possible," Thomas Homberger, Head of the Southern Division at Post and DHL, was quoted as saying in the press release. "Unfortunately, delays cannot be ruled out for the coming days either - the weather conditions are complicated." Some roads are still impassable for post and parcel carriers "because they have not been cleared sufficiently", Homberger said. "Individual letterboxes and branches are also inaccessible." The company asks for understanding for the delays.

Dangerously icy roads: accident ends fatally

The most tragic victims of the onset of winter are two people who died in a collision with an articulated truck on the Autobahn 8 in Upper Bavaria. Their car had come under the rear of the articulated truck, which was parked across the highway near Odelzhausen (Dachau district), on Tuesday night, police said. "At the time of the accident, the tarred road surface was slippery due to freezing wetness. "The driver and the passenger in the car suffered fatal injuries. Their identities were not initially known. The 64-year-old truck driver was slightly injured. The highway was closed for several hours in the direction of Munich.