Status: 16.01.2024, 14:14 PM
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A plane lands at Frankfurt Airport. © Boris Roessler/dpa
Frankfurt Airport is expecting numerous flight cancellations due to the snowfall and freezing rain announced for Hesse. The whole of Wednesday (17 January) and also on Thursday only a very limited air traffic can take place, the operating company Fraport announced on Tuesday.
Frankfurt/Main - Passengers should inform themselves about their flights and not come to the airport in the event of cancellations. Around 1030 flight movements are planned for Wednesday at Germany's largest airport. In the event of severe weather warnings, the airlines cancel their program the day before.
In air traffic, safety is paramount, Fraport explained. In the event of massive snowfall and freezing rain, the runways could not be kept free of snow and ice despite continuous winter maintenance. Before a tram can be approved, a safe coefficient of friction must first be proven by means of test runs. Another bottleneck is aircraft de-icing. The aerodynamic profile of the aircraft must not be affected in any way by snow or ice.
The German Weather Service (DWD) has issued an official severe weather warning for Hesse for Wednesday due to heavy snowfall. In addition, according to the DWD, it will be slippery in many places, and trees could also collapse under the weight of the snow. The DWD expects large amounts of snow of 15 to 40 centimetres within 24 hours in central and western Hesse as well as in the Taunus region and parts of the Rhine-Main area. Dpa