Thunderstorm over Vienna: Airport imposes roughly one-hour shutdown

For the passengers of a flight from Zadar, Friday evening ended with an unexpected test of patience: an aircraft from Zadar had already landed safely, but the passengers were initially not allowed to disembark due to the severe weather and had to wait on board. "Sie mussten noch rund 20 bis 30 Minuten an Bord bleiben", the report described. Only after the thunderstorm cell had moved on were the stranded travelers from Zadar finally allowed to leave the aircraft and continue their journey as planned.

Rainfall Amounts and Severe Weather Warning

The meteorologists of the weather service "uwz" spoke of a veritable "water bomb" over the city. "Laut dem Wetterdienst 'uwz' ging eine regelrechte 'Wasserbombe' über der Stadt nieder, mit Regenmengen von oft 30 bis 40 Litern pro Quadratmeter." In Döbling, as much as 48 liters per square meter fell. The severe weather brought heavy precipitation, hail, lightning, and thunder, leading to a red severe weather warning. On Friday, Vienna was affected by an enormous thunderstorm front.

The reason for the shutdown is the danger of lightning strikes. "Der Grund dafür ist die Gefahr von Blitzschlägen", the report explained. "Befindet sich eine Gewitterzelle im Umkreis von fünf Kilometern, wird der Betrieb auf dem Vorfeld aus Sicherheitsgründen eingestellt." This measure is an internationally prescribed safety standard of IATA (the international umbrella organization of airlines), which serves to protect travelers and airport personnel.

Consequences in the City

After roughly 20 to 30 minutes of operational restrictions, the thunderstorm cell moved on and operations could be fully resumed. Vienna Airport initially did not comment on possible subsequent delays when asked.

The effects of the severe weather were also felt beyond the airport. At Schwarzenbergplatz, the traffic lights also failed, causing underpasses on Mooslackengasse and Gunoldstraße to flood. Emergency services were called upon throughout the city to secure flooded areas and redirect traffic.

For the affected passengers from Zadar, it ultimately amounted to a wait on board before they were able to continue their journey as planned. Travelers whose flights fell within the shutdown period had to expect delays, as all handling operations were at a standstill during the stop. The airlines were only able to resume normal operations after the safety pause had ended.