A brutal snowstorm slammed Amsterdam Schiphol Airport starting early January 2026, triggering hundreds of flight cancellations and delays across Europe, with KLM absorbing the heaviest blows at its home hub while rippling chaos to UK, Italy, Ireland, Switzerland, Germany, and beyond. Day 1 saw 395 cancellations and 670 delays.
Including KLM’s 207 axed flights (30% of schedule) to destinations like Humberside, Zagreb, Florence, Düsseldorf, and even long-haul Atlanta; easyJet lost 50 flights (41% rate), Air France 26 (72%), Vueling 15, and others like SAS, Lufthansa, Turkish, Swiss followed suit amid icy runways, low visibility, and gale-force winds. Day 2 worsened with 191 more cancellations—KLM slashing 138 (22%) plus 78 delays—
The storm’s fury cascaded globally: Norwich Airport shuttered with seven Amsterdam links grounded through January 5; London Heathrow, Paris CDG, Frankfurt faced knock-on delays as inbound/outbound waves hit British Airways (Heathrow/City pairs), easyJet (Belfast, Bristol, Edinburgh, Luton, Manchester), and connections worldwide from Bristol to Seoul diversions. Schiphol’s reduced runway capacity from snow clearance and ATC bottlenecks amplified issues, with KLM pre-emptively cutting 295 flights for January 4 and 124 for January 5 to avoid last-minute scrambles
Key Points
- Scale: 395+ cancellations Day 1, 191 Day 2 at Schiphol.
- KLM Worst: 207 (30%) Day 1, 138 (22%) Day 2.
- Others: easyJet (50), Air France (26), Vueling/SAS/Lufthansa.
- Routes: Europe short-haul + Atlanta ripples.
- Cause: Snow/ice/winds; top disrupted airport
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