As a result of heavy rainfall in Frankfurt, Germany's largest airport experienced numerous flight cancellations on Wednesday. As the evening progressed, significant quantities of water pooled on sections of the runway, resulting in passengers being stranded onboard landed aircraft without the ability to deplane.

As per the information provided on the Frankfurt Airport website, approximately 70 flights were called off due to the adverse weather conditions. An airport spokesperson confirmed to Deutsche Welle (DW) that ground handling operations were halted for a duration exceeding two hours.

A viral video shared on social media depicted planes stationed in notable standing water at the airport, with lightning illuminating the background.

Watch:

Regarding flight operations, Frankfurt Airport typically concludes take-offs and landings at 11 pm local time (2100 UTC). However, in extraordinary situations like that of Wednesday, this curfew can be extended until midnight. This extension aims to alleviate the impact of delays, cancellations, and potential congestion on the subsequent day, reported DW.

As a result of the night-time flight restriction and the inundated conditions on the airport grounds, more than 23 scheduled arrivals were rerouted in mid-flight, away from Frankfurt. According to preliminary assessments provided by Frankfurt Airport, the disruption impacted well over a thousand passengers.

Severe weather warning in Germany

The German Weather Service (DWD) had issued a comprehensive warning covering the entirety of the Hesse state, forecasting intense thunderstorms for Wednesday evening. The combination of rain, powerful gusts of wind, and lightning that accompanied the severe thunderstorms prompted numerous deployments of the fire department in the central German state of Hesse, where the airport is situated.

Between 8 p.m. and 11 p.m. local time, the meteorological office recorded substantial amounts of rainfall, reaching up to 60 liters per square meter in certain regions. Within a span of one hour, meteorologists registered over 25,000 instances of lightning strikes, as reported by the local public broadcaster Hessische Rundfunk.

Griesheim experienced gale-force winds clocking in at 81 kilometers per hour (60 mph), while Offenbach reached wind speeds of 71 kilometers per hour.