More than 300 flights were cancelled and hundreds more delayed as snow and ice blocked runways at Germany's largest airport in Frankfurt on Sunday, the airport operator said.

Some 330 flights were cancelled by 5:00 pm (1600 GMT) after heavy snow and sub-zero temperatures struck the region around the German financial capital, a spokesman for airport operator Fraport told AFP.

The airport -- Germany's largest air hub and the home base for airline giant Lufthansa -- had been scheduled to handle a total of 1,260 flights over the day.

More flights could be cancelled in the evening, the spokesman said, but added that weather was forecast to improve in the coming hours.

In a message on its website, Fraport asked passengers to check with their carrier online whether their flight would go ahead before travelling to the airport.

Much of Germany woke up to snowfall and temperatures around zero Sunday.

Elsewhere in the country, Duesseldorf airport was forced to close for four hours during the afternoon, news agency DPA reported.

Meanwhile, trains were delayed, redirected or cancelled across western North Rhine-Westphalia state.