Criticism mounts after passengers spend night locked in planes at Munich Airport

BERLIN

Germany's Lufthansa airline and Munich Airport are facing sharp criticism after hundreds of passengers spent the night stranded aboard planes during a snowstorm, prompting questions about crisis management at one of Europe's busiest hubs.

German media outlets lambasted the handling of the incident on Monday. The newspaper Merkur headlined its story "Nightmare at Munich Airport: Passengers locked in planes all night." Bild, the country's top-selling tabloid, challenged officials' description of the ordeal as an "inconvenience," asking: "Are you serious?"

About 500 passengers were affected overall, according to media reports. The crisis began Thursday evening when heavy snowfall led to cancellations, stranding travelers on five Lufthansa Group flights bound for Singapore, Copenhagen, Gdansk, Graz, and Venice.

Aviation expert and pilot Mirko Miesen sharply criticized the response. "At this point, I really wonder why people are treated with such ignorance, knowing that they are sitting there in a confined space, perhaps even with children, perhaps with elderly people, in a confined space in a passenger plane," he told the n-tv news channel.

Lufthansa said in a statement that the planes had to remain at a remote parking area in accordance with airport regulations. Terminal gates were unavailable, and airport buses were in short supply, delaying passenger disembarkation.

"Crews continuously informed the guests and provided them with the best possible care with the drinks and food available on board," the airline said. "Only after hours could the passengers be picked up by the buses and thus leave the aircraft."

A Munich Airport spokesperson attributed the chaos to "very tense" weather conditions overnight from Thursday to Friday, which caused widespread delays and cancellations.

The airport said it worked intensively to resolve the issues, but some planes remained stuck. All direct terminal parking spaces were occupied, and bus capacity was limited. "We very much regret the inconveniences that arose as a result," the spokesperson said.

The airport stressed that it maintains emergency plans, which are regularly reviewed and updated. It said it "deeply regrets" the incidents and apologizes to those affected.