From Finland to Germany, why do some airports cope better with snow than others?

10.12.2023 - 02:39 / euronews.com / Angela Symons

Munich Airport ground to a standstill this week after heavy snowfall and freezing rain made safe flight operations impossible.

Passengers took to social media to express their dismay at delays and cancellations. One X (formerly Twitter) user suggested the German airport look to Helsinki in Finland for tips.

“Please talk to the airport in Helsinki. Much more snow and much more difficult weather conditions,” they posted. “They can clean a runway full of snow in 11 minutes. It is really time to level up.”

So why is it that some airports are better able to cope with snow than others?

According to Munich Airport, the weather conditions are not comparable. Temperatures around freezing point, like those experienced in Germany, create wet snow. This tends to turn to slush and ice, which is harder to clear than dry ice.

In Nordic countries like Finland, meanwhile, consistently lower winter temperatures in the minus 2-4°C range make the snow drier and firmer. This type of powder can be more easily swept or blown away.

Ice and snowfall create challenging conditions for air travel, from skidding off the runway to low visibility.

Freezing rain, like that experienced in Munich this week, is particularly troublesome.

This is when supercooled water freezes on impact with surfaces like runways and aeroplanes. It is one of the most “challenging elements” for airport maintenance, a spokesperson for Finavia, the company responsible for maintaining Finland's airport network, tells Euronews Travel.

“When supercooled water rains on a runway or on the surface of an airplane, it freezes immediately. You can see the same phenomenon on your car's windshield in winter,” they explain.

It can result in rapid ice buildup that can be hazardous to aircraft, ground equipment and airport infrastructure like power lines, according to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).

In these conditions, runways and aeroplanes must be de-iced to make them safe for take-off and landing.

Moist snow is particularly problematic in clinging to surfaces like aircraft and runways, and must be cleared before take-off.

Snow also complicates the process of loading luggage onto and off of the planes, causing ground handling delays.

When de-icing aircraft and runways during ongoing snowfall, airports must race against the clock to clear the ice and take off before it builds up again.

They typically have 15 minutes to work with, according to WMO. If they fail to clear the ice in this timeframe, fewer aircraft will be in operation and runways could be temporarily closed. This reduces capacity for take-off and landing, with knock-on effects for the entire flight schedule and air traffic control.

Delayed arrivals from other destinations also impact the departure time of the