By Oliver Towfigh Nia
BERLIN (AA) – Heavy snowfall in southern Germany has caused transportation chaos, particularly in Munich, where hundreds of flights have been canceled and train and other transport for the public has been suspended, public broadcaster ARD reported on Saturday.
Munich Airport announced that it had suspended flight operations until 1100GMT due to heavy snowfall.
Due to heavy snowfall, Munich Airport announced that flight operations would be halted until 1100GMT.
Approximately 320 of 760 scheduled flights for Saturday have so far been canceled, and passengers are advised to check the status of their flights before arriving at the airport.
A spokesman for the airport announced the winter service is now operational, allowing safe operations to resume.
Meanwhile, heavy snowfall has also severely disrupted train services, with people unable to reach Munich's main train station, according to a spokeswoman for Germany's railway service Deutsche Bahn.
Long-distance railway traffic is currently suspended in the greater Munich area, among other places, he added.
In addition, connections from the Bavarian capital to several German cities have been canceled. In Munich and the southern city of Ulm, passengers had to spend the night in trains.
Deutsche Bahn assumes that the restrictions will last all day. “We recommend postponing trips to and from Munich,” said the spokeswoman.
Munich's subways, buses, and trams all temporarily ceased operations.
According to the police, there have been numerous accidents on the roads in southern Bavaria. However, the majority of them only resulted in collateral damage.
In a related development, the first-division Bundesliga football match between defending champions Bayern Munich and Union Berlin has been reportedly called off due to heavy snowfall.
According to the German Weather Service, the weather will remain wintry for the time being. Snow, at times heavy, is expected in the southern and southeastern parts of the country until the afternoon.