Air travel across Europe is once again under strain as a fresh wave of delays and cancellations sweeps through key hubs in Sweden, Norway, Belgium and the United Kingdom. According to disruption data compiled in late January 2026, more than one hundred flights have been delayed and a smaller but still significant number cancelled, with low cost giant Ryanair and Swiss carrier Swiss International Air Lines among the airlines caught in the turbulence. Passengers travelling to and from Stockholm, London and several other northern European cities have faced missed connections, overnight stays and complex rerouting at the height of the winter season.
Latest Wave of Disruption Across Northern Europe
The most recent figures highlight a pattern of repeated shocks to the European aviation system rather than a single isolated incident. On several days in January and early February 2026, disruption trackers recorded clusters of delays and cancellations affecting multiple countries simultaneously, including Sweden, Norway, Belgium and the UK. In one such spell, well over one hundred flights were delayed and more than a dozen cancelled in a short window, with knock on effects rippling across the wider network.
While the headline numbers may sound modest compared with continent wide totals that regularly stretch into the thousands of delayed flights, the concentration of disruption on particular routes and hubs amplifies the impact for individual passengers. Services linking northern capitals and secondary cities, such as flights between Stockholm, Oslo, Brussels and London, can be finely balanced in winter schedules. When even a handful are cancelled and dozens more pushed back, onward connections unravel quickly and recovery can take days.
The situation has been further complicated by the tight aircraft rotations used by high frequency European carriers. A delay of under an hour leaving Stockholm or London can cascade into missed slots later in the day at other congested airports. As aircraft and crew struggle to catch up, airlines are sometimes forced to consolidate lightly booked services or proactively cancel flights to stabilise their timetables.
Key Airports: Stockholm, London and Beyond
Stockholm’s main airports have featured prominently in the latest disruption reports, reflecting Sweden’s role as a northern gateway and transfer point for both Scandinavian and wider European traffic. Delays around the Swedish capital have not been confined to any single carrier, but low cost, full service and regional airlines alike have been affected when weather, air traffic control restrictions or technical issues hit the local operation. For travellers, the result has been crowded departure halls, snaking queues at customer service desks and increasing reliance on digital tools to track constantly shifting departure boards.
London, with its dense cluster of international airports, has once again acted as both a source and a recipient of disruption. Even when the UK capital escapes the worst of the weather, its role as a hub means that delays originating in Scandinavia, Belgium or elsewhere in Europe quickly spill into London schedules. A cancelled departure from Stockholm can translate into an unexpected gap in a London based aircraft’s rotation later in the day, which in turn leads to a last minute cancellation or multi hour delay on a completely different route.
Brussels and regional Belgian airports have also registered strains, with disruption data in January 2026 showing Belgium among the countries affected in several multi nation events. Passengers arriving from or transiting through Belgium have reported late evening arrivals turning into unplanned overnight stays as connecting flights from London or Scandinavian cities failed to depart on time. Norway’s main hub at Oslo Gardermoen has likewise been listed repeatedly in reports of European wide disruption, underlining just how interconnected northern European air traffic has become.
Ryanair, Swiss and Other Airlines in the Firing Line
Among the carriers grappling with this latest bout of disruption are Ryanair and Swiss International Air Lines, two airlines that represent very different business models but share exposure to the same crowded European skies. Ryanair’s vast network across secondary airports in the UK, Scandinavia and continental Europe leaves it highly sensitive to disruptions in any one region. Even a focused incident involving just over one hundred delayed flights and a handful of cancellations can generate a disproportionate level of frustration when passengers rely on slim margin, point to point itineraries with no built in slack for missed connections.
Swiss, operating from its hub in Zurich with a mix of European and long haul services, has also found its schedules under pressure during recent weather related and operational disruptions. Reports from late 2025 and early 2026 highlighted how Swiss flights, along with those of Lufthansa and other group partners, were repeatedly delayed as storms and low visibility conditions swept across parts of central and western Europe. In these circumstances, a relatively small cluster of cancellations in a single day can require wholesale rebalancing of aircraft and crew resources over subsequent days.
Other airlines including British Airways, SAS, KLM, Lufthansa and several low cost rivals have all appeared in disruption tallies since the start of the winter season. This underlines that the latest turbulence is systemic rather than airline specific. Carriers are acutely aware of how sensitive passengers have become to schedule reliability and have been quick to point blame at air traffic control staffing, airport infrastructure constraints and unpredictable weather patterns, while promising to bolster their own contingency plans.
Weather, Staffing and System Strain Behind the Numbers
Behind the specific statistics of 118 delayed flights and 15 cancellations lies a familiar mixture of causes. Winter weather remains a leading trigger, with snow, freezing rain, strong winds and low visibility combining to restrict runway capacity and lengthen the time needed for de icing procedures. Even when airports remain open, the need to operate more conservatively in poor conditions reduces the number of aircraft movements that can be safely handled per hour, creating inevitable queues on the tarmac.
Airlines and airports are also contending with ongoing staffing challenges. While the acute shortages seen in the first post pandemic summers have eased, recruitment and training pipelines for pilots, cabin crew, ground handlers and air traffic controllers remain under strain in many European countries. When sickness, industrial action or sudden spikes in demand coincide with already stretched rosters, punctuality deteriorates quickly and cancellations can become unavoidable.
Compounding both weather and staffing pressures is the sheer density of the European air network. With major hubs in the UK, Scandinavia, Belgium, Germany, France and beyond all interconnected by tight waves of morning and evening departures, there is limited flexibility to absorb shock. If an inbound Ryanair or Swiss aircraft misses its slot into London or Stockholm, there may be no room in the schedule to recover later in the day without bumping another flight. The result is a chain reaction that passengers experience as rolling delays and abrupt cancellations long after the original problem has been resolved.
Impact on Travellers: Missed Connections and Night Spent in Transit
For travellers caught up in the latest round of disruption, the statistics translate into very personal stories of missed family events, business meetings and holidays. Passengers departing Stockholm for London or Brussels, for example, have reported arriving hours late to find that their onward connections within the UK or to other European cities had already left. Where alternatives existed, they often involved long layovers or circuitous routings via third country hubs, stretching short trips into exhausting marathons.
In some cases, especially when evening flights were cancelled outright, travellers in Sweden, Norway, Belgium and the UK have found themselves searching for last minute hotel rooms near the airport. With multiple flights affected simultaneously, nearby accommodation can quickly sell out or spike in price, leaving passengers to choose between a costly taxi ride to more distant lodging or an uncomfortable night on terminal seating. Families with young children and elderly passengers are particularly vulnerable in these circumstances.
The emotional toll should not be underestimated. Even when airlines provide meal vouchers or hotel accommodation, uncertainty over when a new flight will depart and whether luggage has been correctly rerouted adds to stress levels. In winter, the practicalities of coping with late night transport, limited public transit options and cold weather outside the terminal make disruption in northern Europe feel especially challenging.
Passenger Rights and What Travellers Can Claim
For those affected by delays and cancellations in Sweden, Norway, Belgium, the UK and other European states, passenger protection rules offer a degree of reassurance. Under EU and UK regulations, travellers whose flights are significantly delayed or cancelled may be entitled to meals, refreshments, accommodation where an overnight stay is required, and in some cases fixed compensation. The exact entitlement depends on factors such as the length of the delay, the distance of the flight and, crucially, whether the cause of the disruption was within the airline’s control.
When flights are cancelled at short notice for operational reasons not classed as extraordinary circumstances, passengers may be able to claim financial compensation on top of a refund or rerouting. By contrast, if delays stem directly from severe weather, air traffic control strikes or airspace closures, compensation may not be payable even though airlines are still obliged to provide care in the form of food and accommodation. Travellers on Ryanair, Swiss and other affected carriers are therefore advised to keep detailed records of their itineraries, boarding passes and any communication received from the airline.
Several consumer advocacy organisations and specialist claims firms now track disruption statistics in real time and provide tools for passengers to check whether their specific delay or cancellation is likely to qualify for compensation. While these services can be useful, authorities and airlines alike recommend that passengers first approach the airline directly, both to exercise their right to rerouting or refund and to avoid the sometimes steep fees charged by third party intermediaries.
How to Navigate Travel in a Disrupted Winter
With winter weather and structural pressures continuing to challenge European aviation, travellers planning journeys to or within Europe in the coming weeks should approach itineraries with a degree of flexibility. Booking longer connection windows, particularly when changing between different airlines or airports, can reduce the risk that a relatively modest delay in Stockholm, Oslo, Brussels or London results in a missed onward flight. Where possible, choosing earlier departures in the day may also provide more room to rebook if schedules unravel.
Digital preparedness is increasingly vital. Passengers are encouraged to download airline apps, enable notifications and regularly refresh flight status information on the day of travel. In several recent disruption events, airlines issued rolling updates and rebooking options through their apps long before information boards in terminals were updated, allowing tech savvy passengers to secure scarce alternative seats more quickly. Keeping boarding passes, vouchers and receipts stored electronically also simplifies any subsequent claim for expenses.
Finally, a realistic understanding of what airlines can and cannot offer in the midst of disruption helps to manage expectations. Ground staff in Stockholm, London and other affected airports have been working under intense pressure during the latest spate of delays and cancellations. While frustration is understandable, courteous communication and a clear request for specific assistance, whether it be rerouting, overnight accommodation or a refund, typically leads to better outcomes than confrontation.
What This Means for Europe’s Aviation Outlook
The cluster of 118 delayed and 15 cancelled flights tied to Sweden, Norway, Belgium and the UK is part of a broader pattern that has defined the 2025 to 2026 winter season. Repeated reports of hundreds and sometimes thousands of disrupted flights in a single day suggest that Europe’s aviation network is still struggling to build enough resilience to handle routine seasonal shocks. For airlines such as Ryanair and Swiss, which operate tight schedules in highly competitive markets, the pressure to maintain punctuality while controlling costs will only intensify.
For airports from Stockholm and Oslo to Brussels and London, the challenge is twofold: investing in infrastructure and staffing to cope with peak demand, while also collaborating more closely with airlines and air traffic management to smooth traffic flows during adverse conditions. Some hubs are already experimenting with new slot management tools and enhanced de icing capacity to reduce the knock on effects of winter storms and fog.
For travellers, the latest disruption is a reminder that flexibility, preparation and awareness of rights are now essential elements of planning any trip through Europe’s skies. While flying remains the fastest way to move between northern European capitals and regional centres, the assumption of seamless, on time journeys can no longer be taken for granted during the winter months. Until the system builds greater robustness, episodes of delays and cancellations like those seen this season in Sweden, Norway, Belgium and the UK are likely to remain an unwelcome, if manageable, feature of European travel.