Zurich Airport cancels 70 flights due to thunderstorms

Zurich Airport canceled 70 flights due to thunderstorms, though airport operations resumed normally on Wednesday. A spokeswoman said that after disruptions caused by prolonged storms directly over the airport the previous evening, 44 flights were initially canceled, including 24 landings and 20 take-offs. After an exemption granted for the period following the official close of operations at 11:30 pm, an additional 14 aircraft were permitted to land and 15 to depart, but many passengers were still left unable to start their journeys and had to stay at the airport. The airport reported that more than 30 aircraft en route to Zurich on Tuesday evening were diverted to other airports such as Stuttgart, Geneva and Basel, creating a shortage of aircraft and crews for Wednesday. Passengers were told to check with their airlines for flight status, while service counters, security and border controls remained open longer.