- Title: GERMANY: Wintry weather causes chaos
- Date: 10th December 2010
- Summary: FRANKFURT, GERMANY (DECEMBER 9, 2010) (REUTERS) INTERIOR OF FRANKFURT AIRPORT DEPARTURE HALL VARIOUS OF PASSENGERS QUEUED UP BOARD SHOWING CANCELLED FLIGHTS VARIOUS OF PASSENGERS SLEEPING (2 SHOTS) QUEUES (SOUNDBITE) (German) SPOKESPERSON FOR FRAPORT, COMPANY WHICH RUNS THE AIRPORT, JUERGEN HARRER, SAYING: "Passengers at Frankfurt airport will again today have to deal with delays and flight cancellations. This is firstly down to the fact that air traffic was stopped for four hours during the night but also for security reasons. A huge snowfall led to us being unable to keep the runways clear of snow and ice. This has changed now. We are trying hard to work our way through all of the cancellations and delays as quickly as possible." CANCELLED FLIGHTS ON DEPARTURES BOARD (SOUNDBITE) (German) STRANDED PASSENGER, INGRID SALOME, SAYING: "My flight was cancelled and I had to wait in a queue to find out whether or not I can be rebooked onto a later flight to Vienna." (SOUNDBITE) (German) STRANDED PASSENGER GUENTHER OSTROWSKI, SAYING "It is a crisis. But who is managing it?" PASSENGERS QUEUING
- Embargoed: 25th December 2010 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Germany, Germany
- Country: Germany
- Topics: Weather
- Reuters ID: LVABJEUJYYBMK4XSVN21DDYGCH68
- Story Text: Heavy snowfall continued to cause chaos throughout Germany on Thursday (December 9) with delays and cancellations being reported at airports and train stations.
At Berlin's main train station, numerous trains were delayed and ice could be seen forming on the trains.
At the city's Tegel airport, snow ploughs could be seen on the runway, clearing snow and ice.
Many passengers in Germany's largest airport, Frankfurt, were left stranded as flights were cancelled. The airport was closed for some four hours during the night due to the heavy snow.
"Passengers at Frankfurt airport will again today have to deal with delays and flight cancellations. This is firstly down to the fact that air traffic was stopped for four hours during the night but also for security reasons. A huge snowfall led to us being unable to keep the runways clear of snow and ice. This has changed now. We are trying hard to work our way through all of the cancellations and delays as quickly as possible," said Juergen Harrer, the spokesperson for Fraport, the company which runs the airport.
He added that some 160 flights had so far been cancelled from 1400.
Large queues could be seen building up at ticket desks within the departures hall.
"My flight was cancelled and I had to wait in a queue to find out whether or not I can be rebooked onto a later flight to Vienna," stranded passenger Ingrid Salome told Reuters TV.
"It is a crisis. But who is managing it?," said Guenther Ostrowski.
The snowy weather was set to continue throughout Thursday. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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