Travelers passing through Denmark’s key aviation gateways are facing a difficult weekend as fresh data show mounting disruption at Copenhagen Airport and Aalborg Airport. A total of 20 flight cancellations and 176 delays are being reported across the two hubs, affecting services by SAS, Cityjet, KLM and several other European carriers. The ripple effects are being felt across northern Europe’s already strained air network, with passengers urged to check their itineraries repeatedly and prepare for extended waits as airlines scramble to recover their schedules.
Latest Snapshot of Disruption at Copenhagen and Aalborg
Copenhagen Airport, Denmark’s main international hub, is bearing the brunt of the current disruption, with most of the 20 cancellations and the majority of delays concentrated on its short and medium haul European network. According to live operational data and airline status updates on February 15, 2026, carriers such as SAS and KLM have scrubbed multiple departures and arrivals, while others are operating with significant delays. At Aalborg, the situation is less severe in absolute numbers but still highly disruptive for a smaller regional airport that relies heavily on punctual feeder flights to major European hubs.
One of the highest profile cancellations today is KLM flight KL1276 from Copenhagen to Amsterdam, which was scheduled to depart in the evening but has been formally listed as cancelled by multiple tracking services. The flight, a Boeing 737-800 service and an important link between the Danish capital and the Dutch hub, also carries codeshares for partners including SAS and several non-European airlines. Its removal from the schedule adds further strain to an already congested Amsterdam operation and complicates onward connections for Danish passengers heading to long haul destinations.
In contrast, other services into Copenhagen are managing to operate but not without difficulty. SAS flight SK2747 from Palanga in Lithuania to Copenhagen, for example, has operated on time today under a Cityjet-operated arrangement on behalf of SAS. This underlines that despite the high volume of delays and cancellations, many services are still running, creating a patchwork of normal operations alongside substantial disruption that can be difficult for travelers to navigate in real time.
While Aalborg’s flight program is smaller, delays there have a disproportionate impact on domestic and regional connectivity within Denmark. Many passengers who rely on tight connections in Copenhagen from Aalborg-bound services find their onward plans threatened when upstream delays compress already short transfer windows. The combination of localized bottlenecks at Aalborg and the wider issues at Copenhagen helps explain why even a relatively modest number of cancellations and delays can quickly cascade into a much larger operational challenge.
European Context: A Network Under Continued Strain
The latest disruption in Denmark comes against a broader backdrop of operational stress across European aviation in mid February. Only a day earlier, industry monitoring showed major airports in France, Spain, Norway, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom collectively recording more than 50 cancellations and over 1,300 delays in a single day. Severe winter weather, congested airspace and tight aircraft and crew availability have combined to create a fragile environment in which any local problem can swiftly spread through airline networks.
Within this continental picture, Copenhagen has already been singled out as one of several key hubs experiencing elevated levels of disruption. Recent tallies of cancellations and delays across Europe have regularly featured both SAS and KLM among the hardest hit carriers, alongside other big names such as British Airways, Air France, easyJet and various low cost operators. Copenhagen’s dual role as both a Scandinavian hub and a transfer point for wide body intercontinental services amplifies the impact of local operational difficulties on wider European and even transatlantic traffic flows.
This is not an isolated phenomenon. In recent weeks, other major airports such as Amsterdam Schiphol and Madrid Barajas have intermittently reported hundreds of concurrent delays and dozens of cancellations in a single operational day, driven by a mix of weather, staffing constraints and knock on effects from earlier disruptions. For travelers in Denmark, this means that even flights that appear to be operating from Copenhagen and Aalborg can be delayed by problems originating hundreds or even thousands of kilometers away.
Industry observers note that Europe is currently in a period of heightened sensitivity to disruption. Airlines have rebuilt capacity since the pandemic, but in many cases still operate with thinner spare crew and aircraft resources than before. When winter weather or technical issues intervene, airlines have limited margin to recover quickly. The Danish experience this weekend, with 20 cancellations and 176 delays concentrated across just two airports, underscores how quickly those fragile margins can be tested.
Impact on SAS, Cityjet, KLM and Partner Airlines
The current wave of disruption at Copenhagen and Aalborg is distributed across several carriers, but SAS, its regional operator Cityjet and Dutch flag carrier KLM feature prominently in the latest data. For SAS, which uses Copenhagen as its primary hub, any disruption reverberates through an intricate web of feeder flights from Scandinavia and the Baltics that connect onto longer haul services. Cityjet, operating regional routes on behalf of SAS, plays a key role in maintaining those thinner regional links, and any delay or cancellation on such services can sever onward connections for passengers bound for cities across Europe and North America.
KLM’s cancellation of the Copenhagen to Amsterdam rotation is particularly significant because of the role Amsterdam Schiphol plays as one of Europe’s main long haul gateways. Many Danish travelers rely on KLM’s evening departures from Copenhagen to make overnight connections onwards to North America, Africa and Asia. The cancellation forces affected passengers either to reroute via other hubs, such as Frankfurt or Paris, or to rebook on alternative days. For those who had already faced earlier delays, the loss of a key feeder flight represents a substantial disruption to carefully planned itineraries.
Codeshare relationships complicate the picture further. The cancelled KLM flight also carries codeshare numbers for SAS and several non European carriers, meaning passengers who believed they were traveling on a different airline are nonetheless caught up in the same operational issue. This disperses the impact across multiple booking channels and customer service platforms, often increasing call center volumes and placing additional pressure on digital rebooking tools as travelers try to adjust their plans.
Other European carriers are also affected by the prevailing conditions, even if they are not responsible for the primary cancellations at Copenhagen and Aalborg. Airlines that rely on inbound aircraft or crew originating from disrupted hubs such as Amsterdam or Madrid may find that their own flights from Denmark begin to suffer knock on delays later in the operational day. In an interconnected network, the cumulative effect of a relatively small number of primary cancellations can extend to many more flights in subtle but consequential ways.
Passengers Confront Long Queues, Missed Connections and Rebooking Challenges
For travelers on the ground at Copenhagen and Aalborg, the numbers translate into a familiar and often frustrating experience. Long queues at check in, security and customer service desks have been reported throughout the day as passengers seek clarification on the status of their flights and options for rebooking. With 176 delayed services in the mix, even passengers whose flights technically remain in the schedule face considerable uncertainty over actual departure times and the viability of onward connections.
Missed connections are an especially acute risk at Copenhagen, where many itineraries rely on connection windows of less than 90 minutes. A relatively modest delay on a feeder flight arriving from a regional destination can be enough to strand passengers whose long haul departures close boarding earlier than scheduled. In such cases, airlines may be obliged to rebook customers on later flights, provide accommodation where necessary and handle increased volumes of baggage that do not travel with their owners as planned.
Digital tools have become critical for managing these scenarios, but are themselves under strain. Airline apps and websites have seen spikes in usage as travelers attempt to change flights, request vouchers or track gate information. While carriers promote self service options, not all passengers are comfortable using them, especially when facing complex itineraries, special assistance needs or family travel arrangements. This pushes more people back toward in person counters and phone lines, sometimes leading to multi hour waits for assistance at peak times.
Behind the scenes, airline operations control centers are juggling crew duty time limits, aircraft availability and rapidly changing weather and air traffic control parameters. Even when a flight is technically ready to depart, slot restrictions or airspace congestion elsewhere in Europe may impose additional delays. Passengers on board may experience extended waits on the ground, adding to frustration levels and complicating legal obligations around care and compensation under European passenger rights regulations.
Weather, Air Traffic Constraints and Technical Issues Behind the Numbers
The precise mix of causes behind today’s disruptions in Denmark varies from flight to flight, but industry sources point to a familiar constellation of factors. Winter weather patterns continue to affect large parts of northern and western Europe, bringing low visibility, gusty winds and occasional snowfall that require reduced runway capacity and more cautious approach and departure procedures. When airports such as Amsterdam, London or Oslo reduce throughput, the resulting backlog of flights often spills over into nearby hubs like Copenhagen.
Air traffic control capacity remains another sensitive point. Even without severe weather, Europe’s complex patchwork of national airspace providers often struggles to balance demand across busy corridors linking Scandinavia, western Europe and the Mediterranean. Any staffing constraints or technical issues within regional control centers can lead to flow restrictions, forcing airlines to accept departure delays or last minute reroutings that extend flight times and push crew duty limits close to their legal maximums.
Technical issues with individual aircraft can also have outsized effects in a network operating near capacity. In recent weeks, Scandinavian carriers have already experienced notable incidents involving long haul aircraft that were forced to turn back to Copenhagen due to in flight technical concerns. While such events are handled safely and routinely, they remove a critical asset from the network for maintenance and disrupt carefully planned rotations of aircraft and crew.
Once the system enters what operations professionals describe as a degraded state, recovery becomes increasingly challenging. A cancelled flight like KLM’s KL1276 from Copenhagen to Amsterdam is rarely an isolated decision; it typically reflects a set of constraints involving aircraft positioning, crew rest requirements and available slots at both origin and destination airports. Airlines may see cancellation as the least bad option to stabilize their program for the following day, even though it causes considerable short term inconvenience for affected passengers.
What Travelers Through Denmark Should Do Right Now
With disruption levels at Copenhagen and Aalborg unlikely to resolve immediately, travel experts recommend that passengers adopt a proactive approach over the next 24 to 48 hours. The first step is to monitor flight status closely, using both official airline channels and, where available, independent tracking tools. Travelers should not rely solely on printed boarding passes or early morning departure screens, as changes can occur quickly in response to operational constraints elsewhere in Europe.
Second, passengers facing tight connections should contact their airlines or travel agents as early as possible if initial flights into Copenhagen or Aalborg begin to show significant delays. In many cases, carriers are more flexible about rebooking options before a misconnection actually occurs, especially during known periods of disruption. Where alternative routings via other hubs such as Frankfurt, Paris or London are available, early rebooking can reduce the risk of an unexpected overnight stay in a connecting city.
Third, travelers should assemble and retain documentation of their disruption, including booking confirmations, boarding passes, delay notifications and any receipts for meals, accommodation or local transport. Under European Union and associated regulations, passengers whose flights are cancelled or significantly delayed may be entitled to assistance, rerouting or financial compensation, depending on the cause and length of the disruption. Clear documentation makes it easier to file claims later, whether directly with the airline or through third party assistance services.
Finally, flexibility and preparation can help mitigate the practical impact of long waits at the airport. Arriving early, carrying essential medications and valuables in hand luggage, keeping device chargers at hand and planning for meals during irregular hours can all help travelers cope with an unpredictable day. While none of these steps can prevent cancellations or delays, they can make the experience less stressful at a time when airport and airline staff are also working under intense pressure.
Outlook for the Coming Days Across Danish and European Skies
Looking ahead, operational planners at airlines serving Copenhagen and Aalborg will be aiming to gradually rebalance their schedules, reposition aircraft and restore regular rotations. Much will depend on how quickly weather conditions stabilize across northern Europe and whether air traffic control providers can maintain sufficient capacity to clear existing backlogs without introducing new bottlenecks. If conditions improve, some carriers may add extra sections or upgauge aircraft to accommodate rebooked passengers who were unable to travel today.
However, residual effects from the current disruption are likely to persist beyond the immediate 24 hour window. Aircraft and crews out of position, missed maintenance slots and displaced passengers all contribute to a lingering imbalance that can result in knock on delays and occasional further cancellations even after the worst of the disruption appears to have passed. Travelers booked to fly from or via Copenhagen and Aalborg early next week should continue to monitor updates closely and consider allowing additional time for connections.
For Denmark’s role in the wider European aviation system, the events of this weekend highlight once again both the strengths and vulnerabilities of highly integrated hub networks. Copenhagen’s status as a key transfer point for Scandinavia and the Baltic region brings global connectivity to Danish travelers, but it also means that shocks elsewhere in Europe can quickly translate into disruption at home. As airlines and airports digest the lessons of yet another difficult operational period, questions will persist about how much resilience can realistically be built into a system that routinely runs close to capacity.
For now, the immediate focus remains on getting passengers where they need to go, even if not always on their originally planned flights or timetables. With 20 cancellations and 176 delays already recorded across Copenhagen and Aalborg, and further schedule changes still possible, travelers are being reminded that in today’s European skies, flexibility is fast becoming just as essential as a valid ticket and a passport.