Munich. Last week, around 600 passengers had to spend the night from Thursday to Friday at Munich Airport in aeroplanes. With the exception of one long-haul aircraft, all the others were designed only for short-haul flights. According to the airport, the flights had been cancelled late in the evening owing to poor weather conditions. However, the passengers had already checked in and boarded. Because the aircraft were parked away from the terminal on the apron and no buses were available at that late hour, the passengers had to remain overnight in cold cabins, where there was neither sufficient water nor food nor warm blankets. The case only came to light a few days later through press reports.
Clarification demanded
The incident is now likely to have consequences. Initially, the airport and Lufthansa offered only perfunctory apologies and attempts at justification. The authorities have since intervened, and the possible consequences include criminal investigations. Munich Airport is jointly owned by the Free State of Bavaria, the Federal Government and the City of Munich. The Free State holds a 51 per cent majority stake. The chairman of the airport’s supervisory board is Bavaria’s Finance Minister Albert Füracker (CSU). The minister told Die Welt: ‘The situation for the people on board the aircraft was simply unacceptable.’ Something like this should not be allowed to happen.
Füracker said he had ordered an ‘immediate investigation’ on Friday. According to the daily newspaper, Füracker wants to know who was involved in the incident, who made which decisions and when, and with whom communication took place. The police also expect legal proceedings. In the coming days, a report will be submitted to the Landshut public prosecutor’s office requesting the opening of a criminal investigation, according to the police authority.
Unanswered questions
At present, each side is still blaming the other. Munich Airport has a regular night-flight ban from midnight to 5 a.m. The competent authority had approved exemptions from the ban. The question arises as to why the aircraft were not given clearance for take-off despite the exemption. A further question that must be taken very seriously is why it was not possible to send a bus to bring the passengers back to the terminal.
Here, too, the minister is seeking clarity on all aspects: ‘I expect the airport, in consultation with its partners, to provide a prompt and detailed report on the chain of circumstances and decisions, including communication channels, that led to this situation’, Füracker told Die Welt. The partners are likely to include the relevant authorities, aviation safety bodies and airport operators. The cold night on board is likely to have heated repercussions.