Frankfurt Airport—Europe’s fourth-busiest hub for international transfers—was forced into crisis mode on Monday, 12 January 2026 after an overnight blizzard dumped up to 15 cm of snow across Hesse. Operator Fraport confirmed that 102 of the day’s 1,052 scheduled movements were cancelled before noon, with more cancellations and cascading delays likely as clearing crews raced to keep runways, taxiways and de-icing pads usable.
The timing could hardly be worse for multinational firms. Frankfurt handles the bulk of Germany’s intercontinental traffic and is the principal connection point for long-haul itineraries originating in Asia-Pacific and the Americas. Major carriers—including Lufthansa, Singapore Airlines and United— warned corporate travel managers that missed onward connections would trigger automatic rebooking onto services up to 36 hours later, potentially stranding assignees and time-critical cargo.
Amid the scheduling turmoil, VisaHQ can step in on the paperwork front. Its digital visa and passport solutions for Germany (https://www.visahq.com/germany/) allow stranded passengers and corporate travel teams to arrange last-minute Schengen visas, renewals, or emergency travel documents online, so they can concentrate on navigating flight changes rather than consular queues.
![Heavy Snow Grounds Over 100 Flights at Frankfurt Airport, Threatening Global Connections]()
Beyond the airfield, knock-on effects rippled through Germany’s integrated transport network. Deutsche Bahn diverted ICE high-speed services onto secondary routes to keep transfer windows alive, while car-hire companies exhausted their winter-tyre fleets by mid-morning. Logistics operators DHL and DB Schenker activated “snow desk” contingency plans to prioritise medical and automotive parts.
While Fraport expects core runways to reopen fully once temperatures rise above freezing late Tuesday, aviation analysts say the disruption will echo for several days. Aircraft and crews will finish Monday in the wrong places, creating rolling gaps in schedules. Companies with Germany-bound travellers are being urged to build 24-hour buffers into itineraries and to lean on video-conferencing where physical presence is not mission-critical.
Looking ahead, Frankfurt’s new de-icing hangar—scheduled to open with Terminal 3 in April—should double the airport’s capacity to process wide-bodied aircraft during cold snaps. Until then, mobility managers may need to budget extra slack every time a polar jet stream points at central Europe.
The timing could hardly be worse for multinational firms. Frankfurt handles the bulk of Germany’s intercontinental traffic and is the principal connection point for long-haul itineraries originating in Asia-Pacific and the Americas. Major carriers—including Lufthansa, Singapore Airlines and United— warned corporate travel managers that missed onward connections would trigger automatic rebooking onto services up to 36 hours later, potentially stranding assignees and time-critical cargo.
Amid the scheduling turmoil, VisaHQ can step in on the paperwork front. Its digital visa and passport solutions for Germany (https://www.visahq.com/germany/) allow stranded passengers and corporate travel teams to arrange last-minute Schengen visas, renewals, or emergency travel documents online, so they can concentrate on navigating flight changes rather than consular queues.
Beyond the airfield, knock-on effects rippled through Germany’s integrated transport network. Deutsche Bahn diverted ICE high-speed services onto secondary routes to keep transfer windows alive, while car-hire companies exhausted their winter-tyre fleets by mid-morning. Logistics operators DHL and DB Schenker activated “snow desk” contingency plans to prioritise medical and automotive parts.
While Fraport expects core runways to reopen fully once temperatures rise above freezing late Tuesday, aviation analysts say the disruption will echo for several days. Aircraft and crews will finish Monday in the wrong places, creating rolling gaps in schedules. Companies with Germany-bound travellers are being urged to build 24-hour buffers into itineraries and to lean on video-conferencing where physical presence is not mission-critical.
Looking ahead, Frankfurt’s new de-icing hangar—scheduled to open with Terminal 3 in April—should double the airport’s capacity to process wide-bodied aircraft during cold snaps. Until then, mobility managers may need to budget extra slack every time a polar jet stream points at central Europe.
