Travellers across Europe, North America and Central Africa are facing cascading disruption today as Air France grapples with a fresh wave of cancellations and delays that has already affected an estimated 156 flights. The disruption is rippling through key hubs including Paris Charles de Gaulle and Orly, Amsterdam Schiphol, Barcelona El Prat, Atlanta and Douala, complicating journeys for passengers originating in France, the Netherlands, Spain, the United States and Cameroon. A combination of winter weather pressures, capacity strains in European air traffic control and knock on effects from earlier operational issues is forcing last minute schedule changes and long waits at airports.
What Is Happening Across the Air France Network Today
Operational data compiled from aviation tracking platforms and passenger rights services this morning point to a sharp spike in disrupted Air France services, particularly at Paris airports. On 12 February 2026, multiple Air France departures from French regional cities, including several early morning services between Bordeaux and Lyon and from Marseille to Paris Orly, were cancelled outright, signalling deeper challenges in crew and aircraft rotations across the domestic and medium haul network.
While exact tallies are still being updated, industry analysts and passenger assistance platforms indicate that at least 156 Air France operated or Air France coded services are either cancelled or facing significant delays, defined as more than 30 minutes beyond schedule. Paris Charles de Gaulle remains the epicentre, but the disruption is radiating to partner hubs and key destinations served jointly with KLM and Delta, such as Amsterdam and Atlanta, as aircraft and crews fail to arrive in sequence.
The latest turbulence follows a series of difficult days for European aviation. Earlier this month, data from analytics firms showed more than 1,100 flights delayed and dozens cancelled in a single day across Europe, with Air France among the carriers hardest hit at Paris and Amsterdam. Those backlogs have left airlines operating with little margin for error as winter weather and staffing constraints continue to bite.
Key Hubs Under Strain: Paris, Amsterdam, Barcelona, Atlanta and Douala
For travellers in France, the most visible impact is at Paris Charles de Gaulle, where Air France operates its main long haul hub. Passengers report crowded departure halls, lengthy queues at ticket counters and self service kiosks, and rolling gate changes as the airline attempts to consolidate services and rebook disrupted customers. Earlier in the day, CDG saw dozens of Air France flights depart late or drop off departure boards entirely as crews and aircraft failed to position in time from regional bases.
Amsterdam Schiphol, co hub of Air France KLM, is also experiencing pressure. KLM cancellations and delays, combined with Air France schedule changes on codeshare routes, are squeezing capacity between the Dutch hub and key Southern European cities such as Barcelona, as well as long haul connections onward to North America and Africa. Recent weeks have already seen Schiphol handle a high volume of delayed departures tied to wider European weather and air traffic control problems, and today’s Air France specific issues are compounding that strain.
Barcelona El Prat, a major leisure gateway for travellers from France, the Netherlands and Spain, is reporting a smaller but still noticeable cluster of affected services. Afternoon and evening departures to Paris and Amsterdam are particularly vulnerable as aircraft arrive late from earlier legs or are reassigned to protect long haul routes. For Spanish passengers, this means uncertainty not only for point to point trips but also for onward connections through Paris and Amsterdam to the United States and Africa.
Across the Atlantic, Atlanta is emerging as one of the more exposed US gateways. The city is a primary hub for Delta Air Lines, Air France’s transatlantic partner, and disruptions on Air France operated segments from Paris can quickly feed into Delta’s connecting bank of flights across the United States. While some Paris to Atlanta services are still operating, irregular operations in Europe are translating into missed connections and last minute reroutings for travellers heading onward to cities across the American South and beyond.
In Central Africa, Douala in Cameroon is directly affected by Air France’s network challenges. The city relies heavily on Air France’s links to Paris for both business and diaspora travel. Schedule irregularities on the Paris Douala route, combined with aircraft rotation issues on neighbouring African services, are leading to extended waits in terminals, unexpected overnight stays and a shortage of available alternative routings via other European hubs already under pressure.
How Travellers from France, the Netherlands, Spain, the USA and Cameroon Are Affected
For French travellers, today’s disruption is particularly painful because many journeys start with short haul hops into Paris before continuing onward. When early morning domestic links from cities like Bordeaux, Lyon or Marseille are cancelled, passengers lose not only that segment but also their long planned long haul flights to destinations such as Atlanta or Douala. Reaccommodation then depends on spare seats on later departures or on alternative routings through partner hubs, which are themselves filling quickly.
In the Netherlands, passengers flying KLM or Air France codeshares are finding that a delay or cancellation on one leg can cascade through their itinerary. A late arriving aircraft from Paris to Amsterdam may cause a missed connection to Barcelona, while a cancelled Paris flight can force travellers onto already busy KLM services or require overnight stays near Schiphol. Dutch holidaymakers bound for Spain and business travellers heading to France and the United States are reporting long waits to speak to agents and difficulty securing same day alternatives.
Spanish travellers are encountering a similar pattern, particularly those relying on Paris or Amsterdam as connecting gateways. A delayed Barcelona Paris departure can easily jeopardise onward long haul flights to the United States or Central Africa. With winter weather continuing to limit operational flexibility at major hubs, airlines have less spare capacity to absorb irregular operations, leaving more passengers stuck in limbo at departure airports or stranded mid journey.
Passengers departing from the United States and Cameroon face the additional challenge of disruptions that are often announced overnight European time. Americans waking up on the East Coast this morning are finding overnight notifications of schedule changes or cancellations on their Paris bound flights, with limited time to secure alternatives. In Cameroon, where digital customer service channels can be less reliable and airport facilities more constrained, travellers are heavily dependent on local Air France staff to rearrange itineraries and organise accommodation when flights are delayed or cancelled with little warning.
Underlying Causes: Weather, Staffing and Structural Strain
While Air France is the airline most visibly affected today, aviation experts point to a combination of factors stretching far beyond a single carrier. Severe winter conditions across parts of Europe in early February led to widespread delays and cancellations, including at major hubs such as Paris, Amsterdam and Frankfurt. That disruption left airlines with aircraft and crews out of position, and recovery has been hampered by ongoing staff shortages at both airlines and air traffic control centres.
Data from recent weeks show that on some days more than two thousand flights across Europe were delayed and dozens cancelled due to a mix of weather related challenges and bottlenecks in air traffic management. Paris Charles de Gaulle and Amsterdam Schiphol feature prominently in those statistics, as they concentrate a high volume of connecting traffic for multiple carriers. When such hubs seize up, the effects are felt not just locally but on routes reaching into North America, Africa and Asia.
For Air France specifically, the current episode builds on a period of repeated operational stress. Earlier in the season, the airline faced a spike in delays and cancellations tied to technical issues and ground handling capacity at CDG. Previous years brought strikes among air traffic controllers and airline staff in France, which, although not at the heart of today’s disruption, have not yet been fully resolved through long term staffing and infrastructure reform. The result is a system that remains vulnerable to shock whenever a new weather front or technical glitch arises.
Industry analysts warn that structural pressures are likely to persist through the remainder of the winter season. Airlines, including Air France and its partners, have been rebuilding capacity after the pandemic and major events such as the Paris Olympics, but infrastructure upgrades and recruitment in ground services and air traffic control have lagged behind demand. Until that gap narrows, travellers can expect more frequent episodes of the kind of network wide disturbance now unfolding.
What Impact This Has on Connecting Itineraries and Long Haul Journeys
One of the most immediate effects of the current disruption is the risk to connecting itineraries. At large hubs like Paris and Amsterdam, airlines typically bank arrivals and departures in tight waves to maximise connection opportunities. When one wave is delayed, missed connections quickly pile up, forcing airlines to rebook passengers onto later flights that may already be close to full. Given Air France’s role in linking Europe with North America and Africa, these missed connections can easily translate into 24 to 48 hour delays for onward travel.
Long haul services are generally prioritised when airlines need to make tough decisions about which flights to cancel or delay, because they carry more passengers and represent higher revenue. However, even when long haul flights still operate, the disruption to short haul feeders can dramatically reduce the number of connecting passengers who actually make it on board. For example, a Paris to Atlanta flight might depart, but travellers from smaller French or Spanish cities who were meant to connect onto it may find themselves rebooked for the next day.
In Africa, where alternative options are more limited, a cancelled or heavily delayed Paris to Douala service can have an outsized impact. There are fewer daily flights connecting Central Africa to Europe compared with major transatlantic routes, and seats on partner carriers can be scarce at short notice. This means that when an Air France service is disrupted, affected passengers may be stranded for longer periods and find compensation or accommodation arrangements more difficult to obtain, especially if they are travelling from regional cities within Cameroon.
Frequent flyers are also noting knock on impacts days after initial disruption. Aircraft and crew displaced by today’s cancellations may not be available for tomorrow’s departures, creating a rolling pattern of schedule changes. For travellers with complex itineraries spanning Europe, North America and Africa, this makes advance planning challenging and increases the importance of monitoring flight status closely even when travelling a day or two after the worst of the immediate disruption appears to have passed.
How Affected Passengers Can Respond Right Now
For those scheduled to travel today or in the coming days on Air France or Air France codeshares via Paris, Amsterdam, Barcelona, Atlanta or Douala, the first step is to verify the status of every segment of the itinerary. Travellers should not assume that a long haul flight is safe simply because it still appears on departure boards; if the inbound aircraft is several hours late or a connecting feeder flight is cancelled, significant changes may still occur at short notice. Checking both the airline’s app and independent tracking tools can help build a clearer picture.
Passengers whose flights have already been cancelled should prioritise securing an alternative routing before seeking compensation or refunds. With multiple European hubs experiencing strain, seats on remaining services are limited and can be assigned quickly. Where possible, travellers may find better options by asking to be rerouted via partner hubs, even if that means adding an extra connection. For example, a traveller from Spain to the United States might accept a reroute via Amsterdam rather than Paris, or via an alternative US gateway if Atlanta options are constrained.
Once travel arrangements are stabilised, it is important to keep records of all notifications, boarding passes and receipts. Under European air passenger rights rules, travellers departing from or arriving into the European Union may be entitled to assistance and in some cases financial compensation when delays or cancellations are within the airline’s control or when required care is not provided. Even when disruption is primarily driven by weather or air traffic control issues, airlines still owe passengers basic support such as meals and accommodation when long waits become unavoidable.
Travellers in Cameroon and other African markets, where digital channels may be harder to access, should head directly to airport ticket desks and seek written confirmation of the reasons for disruption and any rebooking offered. In busy periods, it can be tempting for passengers to accept the first alternative proposed, but in some cases a later direct flight or a rerouting via a different hub may prove more reliable than a tight new connection through a congested airport. Asking agents to explain minimum connection times and current load factors on proposed alternatives can help make better decisions under pressure.
What This Means for Upcoming Travel Plans in February 2026
Looking ahead to the rest of February 2026, today’s events highlight how fragile European aviation operations remain in the face of adverse weather and staffing bottlenecks. Even as conditions gradually improve, it is likely that airlines such as Air France and its partners will continue to operate close to the edge of available capacity, leaving little room to absorb fresh disruption. Travellers planning journeys that pass through known pressure points such as Paris and Amsterdam should build in extra time for connections and, where feasible, consider earlier departures or overnight stops to reduce the risk of missed long haul flights.
Corporate travel managers and frequent flyers may also wish to diversify routing strategies. Rather than funnelling all transatlantic traffic through a single European hub, it may be prudent in the short term to spread itineraries across different gateways and carriers where company policies allow. This does not eliminate the risk of disruption, but it can reduce the chance that a single operational incident at one airport will derail multiple trips at once.
For leisure travellers from France, the Netherlands, Spain, the United States and Cameroon, flexibility will be key. Booking options with more generous change policies, avoiding last minute departures when possible and remaining alert to early signs of disruption through airline alerts can all help lessen the impact of sudden schedule changes. Those with fixed date commitments, such as cruises, tours or major events, should pay special attention to the resilience of their chosen itineraries, possibly arriving a day early to buffer against unforeseen delays.
Ultimately, the current wave of Air France cancellations and delays serves as a reminder that even outside the peak summer season, Europe’s skies are operating under significant strain. Until deeper investments in staffing, technology and infrastructure take hold, days like today are likely to recur. For now, informed planning, active monitoring and a clear understanding of passenger rights remain travellers’ best tools for navigating a complex and often unpredictable air travel landscape.