For the fifth day in a row, thousands of passengers are still waiting to board their planes, as Munich Airport rushes to clear ice from the runways and planes in hopes of restarting operations today at noontime.
According to local media, snowfall in Munich reached a historic record for the month of December, surpassing all previous ones since 1933.
An official statement from the airport announced that due to freezing rain during the night, “there will be no take-offs and landings from the start of operations at 6 a.m. until 12 noon today.”
Of the initial 300 Greeks at the start of the storm, half of them were still stranded at the Airport as of yesterday, but reports from passengers this morning say that some planes are being loaded and it appears that operations will indeed recommence shortly.
One Greek passenger mentioned, “We have been at the airport since Friday afternoon. At the moment, there are around 150 Greeks scattered between two terminals. The company that was supposed to take us home gave us a 15 euro voucher on Saturday to get something eat. They also gave us a sum of money for a hotel, but there were no accommodations nearby, and there was no way to get there.”
An official email by Aegean Airlines was sent to passengers apologizing that the airline was not able to assist customers with rooms, as there were none available amongst their contracted hotels. The airline offered to cover 130 euros per person for accommodation and meals, and cover the expenses to and from the airport, pending passengers submit their receipts for reimbursement.
