There was a massive traffic jam at the security checkpoints in Terminal 2 at Munich Airport on Thursday, causing around 750 passengers to miss their flights. Images of endless queues and frustrated travelers quickly made the rounds on social media, bringing the incident to wider public attention. What made it particularly tragic was that it was German Unity Day, a public holiday when many people were out and about taking advantage of their days off.
Munich Airport, one of the largest and most important air traffic hubs in Europe, suddenly found itself confronted with a crisis that put pressure not only on the passengers affected, but also on management and security authorities. At a subsequent press conference, airport boss Jost Lammers spoke of "very unusual arrival behavior on the part of passengers," which was blamed for the chaotic situation.
Early arrival: cause or symptom?
According to Lammers, many of the travelers had already arrived at the airport six hours or even earlier than their scheduled departure. This early arrival would have massively increased the volume at the security checkpoints and led to long waiting times. This behavior was not common in the past. However, the question of why the passengers suddenly arrived so much earlier than usual remained unanswered. Lammers admitted that this was the "center of our analyses" and acknowledged that this situation had never been experienced before.
It is speculated that a combination of holiday traffic, increased passenger safety awareness and potentially unclear information on recommended arrival times may have caused many passengers to arrive unusually early. Some passengers said they deliberately arrived early to ensure they did not miss their flight due to reports of long wait times in the past.
Overburdened security checks and measures to relieve the burden
The security checks, which are carried out by the company SGM on behalf of the government of Upper Bavaria, were unable to cope efficiently with the sudden rush. Matthias Dohse, SGM's operational director, assured that all control lanes were in operation, including eight modern CT lanes and nine conventional lanes. Despite these capacities, delays lasting several hours occurred.
In order to defuse the situation in the short term, some passengers of the Lufthansa subsidiary Discover Airlines have been directed through Terminal 1 since Friday to go through the security checks there. In addition, the airport plans to take passengers by shuttle bus from Terminal 2 to the security checks in Terminal 1 during peak times. This measure is intended to reduce the load on Terminal 2 and enable faster processing.
Another important point was the airport's appeal to passengers not to arrive at the airport more than three hours before their departure. This request is aimed at reducing the volume at security checkpoints and preventing unnecessary congestion. It remains to be seen what effect these measures will have in the coming weeks, especially in light of the upcoming autumn holidays and Christmas travel.
Future planning: Capacity expansion in summer 2025
The incident at Terminal 2 highlights the need to further expand security checks' capacity. In this context, Dohse announced that a capacity increase of around 30 percent is planned for the coming summer flight schedule. This is to be achieved through the use of additional CT scanners, which will be installed in the coming months. These modern scanners enable faster and more efficient processing, as hand luggage can be scanned in more detail and without the cumbersome process of unpacking.
Responsibility and Apology
Airport boss Jost Lammers apologized to the affected passengers for the "long queues and significant delays." He stressed that the situation was being taken very seriously and that intensive efforts were being made to prevent such incidents in the future. At the same time, he stressed that all checkpoints were operational and that this was an exceptional situation.
Despite the comprehensive measures, the question remains whether the "unusual arrival behavior" of passengers was solely responsible for the chaotic conditions or whether there are structural deficiencies that also need to be addressed. Airports around the world are facing the challenge of adapting to changing passenger flows and security requirements, especially in times of increasing travel volumes.
The incident at Terminal 2 at Munich Airport shows how quickly the system of an international airport can reach its limits due to unforeseeable developments. The measures to relieve the pressure in the short term are a first step, but in the medium term further investments must be made in the infrastructure and the optimization of passenger flows. This is the only way Munich Airport, which is considered one of the most important hubs in Europe, can maintain and expand its position as a high-performance and efficient airport.