Severe weather linked to Storm Nils triggered a fresh wave of air travel chaos across Europe on February 11 and 12, 2026, with more than 150 flights cancelled and over 2,200 delayed across Spain, Portugal, France, the United Kingdom and Turkey. Disruptions rippled through major hubs including Barcelona, Paris, London and Istanbul, hammering carriers such as Vueling, easyJet, Finnair and Iberia and leaving tens of thousands of passengers facing long queues, missed connections and overnight delays.
Storm Nils Slams Western Europe and the Mediterranean
Storm Nils, a powerful Atlantic weather system, swept into the Iberian Peninsula and western Mediterranean with a combination of gale force winds, torrential rain and rough seas. Spain’s meteorological agency issued severe weather alerts across large parts of the northwest, Catalonia and the eastern seaboard, warning of gusts approaching or exceeding 100 kilometres an hour, coastal flooding and difficult flying conditions.
In Catalonia, authorities described some of the strongest winds seen in up to two decades. Heavy rainfall drenched already saturated ground, contributing to flash flooding in low lying districts and forcing emergency services to respond to fallen trees, downed power lines and blocked roads. Along the Atlantic and Mediterranean coasts, high surf and pounding waves prompted local officials to close promenades and seafront access points as a precaution.
The storm’s broad footprint extended beyond Spain. Strong crosswinds and thick cloud bands swept across Portugal and into western France and the western English Channel, creating unstable air and turbulence at key approach corridors into airports around Paris and London. Farther east, deteriorating conditions over the eastern Mediterranean contributed to difficult operational conditions in Turkish airspace and at Istanbul’s busy international hubs.
Barcelona at the Epicentre of Flight Cancellations
Barcelona El Prat emerged as one of the hardest hit airports as Storm Nils moved across the region. Aviation authorities confirmed that dozens of operations were cancelled outright as crosswinds and low visibility made take offs and landings unsafe at peak times. Arriving aircraft were forced into extended holding patterns, diverted to alternative airports or turned back to origin, while departures were temporarily suspended during the worst gusts.
Carriers with a strong presence in Barcelona bore the brunt. Vueling, which uses El Prat as a key base, cancelled and delayed multiple services to and from major European cities including London, Paris, Rome and several Spanish domestic destinations. Iberia, operating both mainline and regional flights, also reported significant schedule interruptions, particularly on routes linking Barcelona with Madrid and other European capitals.
Inside the terminals, long queues formed at airline service desks as passengers sought rebooking and accommodation. Electronic departure boards filled with delay notices, and airport staff deployed additional personnel to manage crowds and provide information. While most passengers were eventually rebooked later in the day or the following morning, some reported waiting several hours before receiving clear guidance on revised itineraries.
Ripple Effects in Paris, London and Istanbul
As is often the case with major European weather systems, the disruption was not confined to the area directly under Storm Nils. Knock on effects spread rapidly to other busy hubs that depend on smooth traffic flows over Spain, Portugal and France. Airlines struggled to keep aircraft and crews in the right place at the right time, leading to secondary cancellations far from the worst of the weather.
In Paris, both main airports saw a sharp rise in delayed departures as flights arriving from Spain and Portugal landed late or were diverted. Some services to Barcelona and other Iberian destinations were proactively cancelled, with airlines citing safety considerations and reduced capacity in affected airspace. Passengers at Charles de Gaulle and Orly faced a narrowing window of connections to onward long haul flights, forcing carriers to reroute or overnight travellers whose itineraries could not be salvaged.
London airports experienced similar pressures. With aircraft and crews scheduled to operate rotations between the United Kingdom and the Iberian Peninsula, even a brief grounding at Barcelona or Madrid quickly translated into long queues at check in and security in London. Budget carrier easyJet was particularly exposed on its dense network linking British cities with Spanish and Portuguese holiday destinations, and it reported elevated levels of both delayed and cancelled services.
Farther east, Istanbul’s role as a bridge between Europe, the Middle East and Asia meant that meteorological instability over the eastern Mediterranean complicated operations for Turkish and European airlines alike. Aircraft approaching from storm affected zones arrived late, squeezing already tight turnaround times. Delays propagated across tightly timed banked departures, and passengers connecting between European and international flights faced missed onward sectors and forced overnight stays.
Vueling, easyJet, Finnair, Iberia and Others Struggle to Cope
The airlines most heavily affected reflected the geographic spread of Storm Nils and the dense web of short haul European connections. Vueling and Iberia, both prominent in the Spanish and wider Iberian market, saw multiple rotations scrubbed as conditions deteriorated and operational margins narrowed. Crews timed out after working up to regulated duty limits, and spare aircraft were in short supply as carriers attempted to plug gaps in their networks.
Low cost giant easyJet, which operates extensive point to point services across the United Kingdom, France, Spain and Portugal, reported substantial delays on routes touching storm impacted areas. Even flights able to operate faced restrictions, such as increased separation between aircraft on approach and departure, which reduced overall capacity and created bottlenecks throughout the day. Aircraft arriving well behind schedule forced the rolling rescheduling of outbound sectors.
Further north, Finnair and other Nordic and central European carriers were not spared. Although based outside the core impact zone, they rely on smooth operations at European hubs like Paris and London for feeder traffic and aircraft rotations. Once those hubs became congested with delayed flights and weather related holdings, schedule integrity deteriorated. Short haul services shuttling between Helsinki and western European gateways experienced knock on delays that cascaded throughout their networks.
Other full service and low cost airlines, from regional operators to major flag carriers, reported elevated disruption indicators as the day wore on. Even when individual flights were able to depart close to on time, the overall flow of traffic through European airspace was slowed by weather restrictions, forcing re routes, altitude changes and speed adjustments that compounded delay minutes across the system.
Passenger Rights and Limited Prospects for Compensation
For stranded travellers, the immediate concerns were practical: securing a seat on the next available flight, finding somewhere to sleep and obtaining food and water while waiting. Under European air passenger rules, airlines are required to provide care in the form of meals, refreshments and accommodation in the event of long delays or overnight disruptions, regardless of the specific cause of the interruption.
However, when it comes to financial compensation, the picture is less favourable for those affected by Storm Nils. Severe weather of the sort that hit Spain, Portugal, France, the United Kingdom and Turkey is typically classified as an extraordinary circumstance beyond the control of the airline. In such cases, carriers are generally not obliged to pay standard delay or cancellation compensation, even when passengers suffer long waits and missed holidays or business appointments as a result.
Consumer advocates nonetheless encourage travellers to keep all documentation, including boarding passes, booking confirmations and receipts for any expenses incurred. Although statutory compensation may be limited, some airlines choose to offer vouchers, partial refunds or goodwill gestures, especially to frequent flyers or passengers particularly badly affected by disrupted connections. Travel insurance policies, particularly those that include trip interruption cover, can also play an important role in reimbursing additional costs such as hotel stays or missed prepaid arrangements.
Passengers are advised to log their disruption details as soon as possible, contact their carrier through digital channels to avoid the longest desk queues where feasible, and review the specific terms of both airline policies and insurance contracts. Those who booked as part of a package holiday may also have additional protections, as tour operators often take on responsibility for rebooking and accommodation when flights are disrupted.
Airports and Air Traffic Control Under Intense Pressure
The latest episode of severe disruption again exposed how sensitive Europe’s dense aviation network is to weather shocks, especially when they occur at or near major hubs. Airports like Barcelona, Paris, London and Istanbul operate close to capacity under normal conditions, and even small perturbations can quickly snowball into major logjams when runways, taxiways and stands are temporarily taken out of use by wind, rain or low visibility.
Air traffic control centres across the region were forced to introduce flow restrictions to maintain safety during Storm Nils. This included reducing the number of aircraft allowed to approach or depart certain airports within given time windows and rerouting flights around turbulent or stormy sectors of airspace. These necessary precautions, while critical for safety, effectively reduced throughput and extended delays for flights already facing challenging conditions.
Ground handling operations were also affected. High winds made it dangerous for ramp workers to operate certain equipment close to aircraft, slowing or halting refuelling, baggage loading and aircraft positioning at the worst moments of the storm. De icing resources, though more commonly associated with winter ice and snow, were also stretched where heavy rain and strong winds complicated safe aircraft preparation.
Airport operators stressed that safety remains the overriding priority and that cancelling or delaying flights is preferable to risking operations in marginal conditions. They also pointed out that preparation for severe weather has improved in recent years, with better forecasting, more flexible staffing models and enhanced communication with airlines and passengers, but acknowledged that extreme events like Storm Nils will always test the limits of resilience.
Wider Context of Persistent European Flight Disruptions
The chaos unleashed by Storm Nils comes against a broader backdrop of persistent reliability issues across European aviation. Industry data over the past year has shown a pattern of fewer outright cancellations but stubbornly high rates of delays, as airlines, airports and air traffic systems struggle to match post pandemic demand with staffing levels, infrastructure and airspace capacity.
Weather events like Storm Nils interact with these structural pressures in ways that magnify their impact. When networks are already running tight, with little slack in aircraft and crew schedules, a storm that grounds flights for several hours can throw timetables into disarray for days. Efforts to restore normal operations require complex planning, including repositioning aircraft, reassigning crews who have reached duty limits and rebuilding punctuality one flight at a time.
Regulators and passenger rights groups continue to debate how best to balance the needs of travellers for predictable, fair treatment when disruptions occur against the operational realities facing airlines and airports. Proposals to revise compensation thresholds and clarify definitions of extraordinary circumstances remain contentious, with industry bodies warning that increased costs could translate into higher fares, while consumer advocates argue that strong protections are essential to counterbalance airline market power.
For travellers, the result is an environment in which flexibility and contingency planning are increasingly important. Booking longer connection windows, favouring early day departures, and considering travel insurance with robust disruption coverage are among the strategies seasoned passengers are adopting in the face of Europe’s often turbulent skies.
What Travellers Should Do Now and in the Coming Days
With meteorologists warning that the remnants of Storm Nils could continue to disrupt weather patterns over parts of Europe for at least another day, passengers with imminent travel plans are urged to monitor their flight status closely. Most airlines offer real time updates through mobile applications, text alerts and email, and signing up for these services can provide earlier warning of schedule changes than waiting for airport display boards.
Those already at the airport are advised to remain close to their departure gate when delays are announced, as boarding calls can come with little warning once a weather window opens. Keeping essential items such as medications, chargers, snacks and basic toiletries in carry on luggage rather than checked bags can help ease the strain of extended waits or unexpected overnight stays.
Looking further ahead, Storm Nils serves as a reminder of the vulnerability of modern air travel to increasingly volatile weather patterns. As climate scientists project more frequent and intense storms across the Atlantic and Mediterranean, airlines and airports may face mounting pressure to invest in more resilient infrastructure, flexible scheduling and improved passenger care systems. For now, though, travellers across Spain, Portugal, France, the United Kingdom and Turkey are focused on a more immediate goal: simply getting where they need to be in the wake of one of the most disruptive storms of the winter so far.