Travelers across Europe are facing a fresh wave of disruption as a combination of winter weather, industrial action and lingering operational constraints triggers delays and cancellations at major hubs.

British Airways, KLM and easyJet are among the carriers most affected this January, with services disrupted at airports in the United Kingdom, France, the Netherlands, Denmark and beyond. Hundreds of flights have been delayed or grounded in recent days, stranding passengers, squeezing airline operations and putting renewed focus on the resilience of Europe’s air travel system during the peak winter season.

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Fresh Disruption Across Key European Hubs

Latest data from aviation disruption trackers and industry reports show that flight operations at several major European airports have been severely affected since the start of January 2026. On multiple days, more than a thousand flights across the continent have been delayed or cancelled, with notable concentrations in the UK, the Netherlands, France and Switzerland. Airlines including British Airways, KLM and easyJet have all reported schedule disruption, in some cases on top of earlier weather-related issues that had already stretched operations at the turn of the year.

On January 9 and 10, a wave of delays and cancellations swept through airports in London, Amsterdam and Zurich, with at least 919 departures delayed and 233 flights cancelled across several European countries. British Airways and KLM were among the airlines most affected on those days, alongside a range of other regional and long-haul carriers. Passengers at London and Amsterdam, in particular, reported queues at customer service desks and busy rebooking lines as airlines attempted to consolidate services and prioritize stranded travelers.

The disruption has not been confined to a single event. Separate tallies for UK airports alone indicated that by January 5, more than 139 flights had been cancelled and over 1,500 delayed at airports including London, Manchester, Bristol and Edinburgh. Those figures covered a broad mix of carriers, but prominently featured British Airways, KLM and easyJet among the disrupted operators. For many travelers, the overlapping effect of successive disruption events has meant days of uncertainty about whether flights would operate as scheduled.

Weather Strains Operations at Schiphol and Other Airports

Severe winter weather has been one of the key underlying drivers of the current wave of disruption, particularly in the Netherlands and surrounding countries. In early January, heavy snowfall, freezing temperatures and strong winds significantly reduced capacity at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport, one of Europe’s busiest hubs and KLM’s primary base. Runway availability was cut and aircraft had to queue for de-icing in difficult operating conditions, triggering cascading delays and cancellations across KLM’s short- and long-haul network.

KLM acknowledged that it had been forced to cancel hundreds of flights to and from Schiphol since the first week of January due to the weather. At one point, the airline pre-emptively cancelled around 600 flights in a bid to avoid mass stranding at the airport and to keep the remainder of its network moving. The airline described intense pressure on de-icing capacity and ground handling operations, and even arranged emergency transport of de-icing fluid from abroad to sustain operations during the cold snap.

The impact of winter storms extended beyond Schiphol. Across northwestern Europe, heavy snow and ice prompted airport authorities and airlines to limit operations on safety grounds. At Amsterdam, some days saw hundreds of cancellations and many more delays as ground operations were halted intermittently when winds became too strong for ramp workers to operate safely. Reports from the region describe conditions as the most severe in several years, with snow depths and icy surfaces that caught both local authorities and transport networks off guard.

British Airways Feels the Knock-On Effects

British Airways has not escaped the fallout from Europe’s challenging start to 2026. The airline’s operations in and out of London, as well as key European destinations, have been affected both by weather-related disruption and by broader congestion on popular routes. On days when storms or freezing conditions limited flights at key hubs, British Airways was among the carriers forced to cancel or consolidate services, particularly to and from the Netherlands, France and Switzerland.

In early January, aggregated figures for UK airports showed British Airways among the major airlines hit by more than 139 cancellations and over 1,500 delays, alongside other European carriers. Some short-haul flights between London and regional European destinations were grounded or retimed to align with reduced capacity at airports battling snow, ice and power issues. Separate incidents, such as weather-linked outages and radar problems at regional UK airports, added to the complexity of rerouting both aircraft and crews.

The airline has been attempting to stabilize its winter schedule following earlier issues related to staffing and air traffic control constraints that emerged in previous seasons. However, the latest disruptions underscore the degree to which British Airways remains exposed to wider system shocks, particularly at congested hubs. For passengers, this has translated into longer queues at London airports, shifting departure boards and, in some cases, overnight stays while they wait for rebooked flights.

KLM Rebuilds Its Schedule After Major Winter Shock

For KLM, the first half of January has been dominated by efforts to restore normal operations after what the airline has described as severe winter disruption. Between the start of the month and around January 10, KLM cancelled hundreds of flights, with some days seeing a significant portion of its short-haul schedule grounded. The airline estimated that as many as 300,000 passengers may have seen their travel plans affected during the most intense period of disruption.

To support recovery, KLM temporarily suspended new ticket sales on certain routes to free up seat capacity for rebooked passengers. It also deployed larger aircraft on popular European routes, including Berlin, Rome and Copenhagen, to carry additional travelers whose original flights had been cancelled. On some days, the airline reported handling more than 100,000 passengers as it worked through the backlog of disrupted trips.

By January 12, KLM said its flight schedules at Schiphol had returned to a regular timetable, with no further weather-related cancellations expected in the immediate term. The airline indicated that the majority of passengers affected by earlier cancellations had been successfully rebooked by January 10. Even as operations normalize, however, KLM continues to warn that residual delays may still occur, particularly while crews and aircraft are repositioned to their standard rotations after the storm.

easyJet Caught Between Strikes and Weather

Low-cost carrier easyJet has been pulled into the disruption through both weather and labour-related issues. Early January’s snow and ice affected many of its key bases in the UK and continental Europe, adding delays and cancellations on busy leisure and business routes. In addition, recent strike action across parts of Europe has hit easyJet and other carriers, further complicating schedules just as airlines were trying to recover from the storms.

Data summarizing the impact of strikes in mid January indicates that industrial action in several European countries led to more than 2,000 flight delays and around 90 cancellations in a single disruption event. EasyJet was listed among the airlines dealing with strike-related groundings, alongside carriers such as Lufthansa, Wizz Air, KLM and Swiss. The stoppages affected airports in countries including Switzerland, France, Greece, Finland and Germany, leaving passengers at hubs such as Zurich and Athens facing uncertainty about their departures.

For a point-to-point carrier like easyJet, which depends on tight aircraft utilization to maintain low fares, the combination of weather and strikes is particularly challenging. Disruptions quickly ripple through its network as aircraft and crews go out of planned position. Passengers on popular city pairs such as London to Amsterdam, Paris or Copenhagen have reported last-minute cancellations or significant delays, often requiring same-day rebooking on alternative services or overnight stays near airports.

New Wave of Delays and Cancellations in Mid January

Even as airlines work to clear early January backlogs, fresh disruption has emerged in the middle of the month. On January 14, travel industry monitoring indicated that 240 flights were delayed and 37 cancelled across airports in France, the Netherlands, Russia and Denmark. British Airways, KLM and easyJet were again named among the airlines affected, with disruption focused on busy hubs including Paris, Amsterdam and Copenhagen.

The latest wave reflects how quickly capacity constraints, weather systems or infrastructure issues in one region can reverberate across multiple countries. With aircraft operating tightly choreographed schedules, a morning of delays in one city can trigger late departures and missed connections far down the line. For carriers like British Airways and KLM, which rely heavily on connecting passengers through hub airports, this poses particular challenges in reshaping itineraries on the fly.

Passengers have reported crowded terminals and long waiting times for rebooking and customer support as airlines attempt to handle rolling schedule changes. While many of the January 14 delays were limited to a few hours, cancellations forced some travelers to reroute through alternative cities or accept later travel dates, especially where onward connections or long-haul segments were involved.

Passenger Rights and Rebooking Options Under Pressure

The scale of disruption this month has once again highlighted the importance of Europe’s passenger rights framework. Under the rules adopted from European Regulation 261/2004 and mirrored in UK law, travelers departing from or arriving in the UK and EU with a UK or EU carrier are entitled to certain forms of care when flights are delayed, as well as potential financial compensation when the disruption is within an airline’s control. In practice, the picture has been more nuanced this January, with many cancellations tied to weather or strikes, which often fall under the category of extraordinary circumstances.

For affected passengers on British Airways, KLM and easyJet, the most immediate rights relate to care and rebooking. Airlines are expected to offer meals, refreshments and, where necessary, hotel accommodation when delays stretch into long waits or overnight stays. They must also provide rerouting options at the earliest opportunity or full refunds for cancelled flights where passengers no longer wish to travel. In cases where disruptions stem from factors like severe winter storms, travelers may not be entitled to compensation payments, but they are still owed assistance at the airport and reasonable arrangements to reach their destinations.

KLM has published specific rebooking policies for customers whose flights to, from or via Amsterdam were affected by the recent winter weather. Travelers with tickets issued on or before early January and scheduled to travel during the period of disruption have been allowed to change their departure dates without additional fees, within defined time windows. Other airlines, including British Airways and easyJet, have similarly encouraged passengers to use digital tools and apps to change flights, request refunds or secure vouchers when they decide to postpone trips.

What Travelers Can Expect in the Coming Days

Looking ahead, airline and airport officials say they expect operations to gradually stabilize as weather patterns ease and strike calendars become clearer, but they also warn that the European network remains vulnerable to further shocks. With winter still in full swing, additional snow or ice could yet force renewed capacity cuts at airports such as Amsterdam, London or Paris. Any new industrial disputes involving pilots, cabin crew, baggage handlers or air traffic controllers would also risk adding fresh layers of disruption on top of an already stretched system.

For passengers booked on British Airways, KLM or easyJet in the coming days, the most consistent advice from airlines and aviation authorities is to monitor flight status closely and to allow extra time at the airport. Travelers are urged to check their airline’s app or website before setting out, sign up for notification services, and be prepared for schedule changes, particularly if connecting through weather-prone hubs. Where possible, airlines recommend traveling with hand luggage only to reduce complications if last-minute aircraft swaps or rebookings are required.

Despite the challenges, the broader European aviation system continues to operate at high volumes, with the majority of flights still running close to schedule. However, January 2026 has underlined how quickly conditions can deteriorate when winter storms, strikes and infrastructure constraints collide. For British Airways, KLM and easyJet, the current disruptions serve as a fresh test of resilience, contingency planning and customer communication as millions of travelers continue to move across the continent.