FRANKFURT (dpa-AFX) - Frankfurt Airport is expecting numerous flight cancellations due to the forecast snowfall and freezing rain. Throughout Wednesday (January 17) and also on Thursday, only severely restricted air traffic will be able to take place, the operating company Fraport announced on Tuesday.

Passengers should inform themselves about their flights and not come to the airport if flights are canceled. Around 1030 flight movements are planned for Wednesday at Germany's largest airport. Airlines cancel their programs the day before in the event of severe weather warnings.

Safety is the top priority in air traffic, explained Fraport. During heavy snowfall and freezing rain, the runways could not be kept free of snow and ice despite continuous winter maintenance. Before a runway can be cleared, a safe coefficient of friction must first be proven through test runs. A further bottleneck is aircraft de-icing. The aerodynamic profile of the aircraft must not be impaired in any way by snow or ice./ceb/DP/jha