Window days, late summer days and even Oktoberfest: tourists in Munich are currently experiencing a lot of crowds. However, there is no festive atmosphere outside the Theresienwiese festival grounds at Munich Airport. That requires strong nerves and perseverance. On Thursday, travelers had to wait for hours in a queue that could be up to two kilometers long. Pure chaos!
It is generally advisable to arrive at the airport early. However, passengers in Munich have faced long wait times since the end of September, sometimes having to wait several hours before being allowed through security checks.
However, on Thursday an unprecedentedly long queue had formed at Germany’s second largest airport, which “snaked twice from the building across the airport forecourt” and, according to an eyewitness, stretched “along the entire terminal”.
Video: In a TikTok video, a user shows the queue appearing endless – without seeing the people waiting inside.
Mood irritable and tense
In the meantime, the queue reached a length of up to two kilometers, the airport confirmed according to “Bild”. Passengers had to wait more than an hour before they could even get to security. Because the stressed and frustrated passengers were obviously afraid of missing their flight, the mood was irritable and tense.
Capacity too low
The problem: There is a central security checkpoint in Terminal 2 whose capacity could not handle the holiday crowds, which was already causing delays at boarding pass scanners. In addition, construction work is currently taking place there, which will reduce the capacity of security checkpoints by eight percent.
Airport spokesperson Robert Wilhelm: “We have deployed additional staff to ensure an orderly queue. It kept moving constantly and we distributed water to the passengers.”
At the actual security checkpoint, all available locks were open, so the wait time there could be reduced to about 15 minutes. Despite the long waiting times, the majority of travelers were still able to catch their flights.
According to “Bild”, the airport spokesperson announced further patience tests for the weekend: “On Sunday, at the end of Oktoberfest, there may be long queues again.”
Source: Krone
I am an experienced and passionate journalist with a strong track record in news website reporting. I specialize in technology coverage, breaking stories on the latest developments and trends from around the world. Working for Today Times Live has given me the opportunity to write thought-provoking pieces that have caught the attention of many readers.
