Severe winter weather and a powerful storm system sweeping across northwestern and central Europe have triggered fresh disruption for air travelers on January 6, 2026, with Germany’s aviation network under particular strain.

At least 60 flights linked to German airports have been canceled as part of a wider wave of schedule cuts that is rippling through hubs in Amsterdam, Paris, Liverpool and other European cities, affecting services operated by KLM, Lufthansa, Air France, easyJet and several partner airlines.

Thousands of passengers have been left stranded or facing long delays as carriers scramble to cope with snow, ice and high winds, as well as mounting operational bottlenecks.

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Storm System Slams Germany’s Air Network

Germany entered the new week already on the defensive after a winter storm on January 5 effectively paralyzed large parts of its air network.

Industry data indicated at least 69 cancellations and more than 1,200 delays across major German gateways including Berlin, Frankfurt, Munich, Düsseldorf and Hamburg, as airlines struggled with low visibility, icy conditions and gale-force gusts that repeatedly closed or restricted runways.

Flag carrier Lufthansa, together with regional partners such as Air Dolomiti and German Airways, bore much of the brunt, with rotation plans upended and aircraft and crews left out of position for subsequent flights.

The fallout from that disruption has spilled into January 6, with German airports still handling knock-on cancellations and missed connections. While overall numbers remain fluid, at least 60 flights linked to routes into and out of Germany have been withdrawn from schedules today as carriers effectively reset their networks and continue to trim operations in anticipation of more snow and ice.

Frankfurt and Munich, both major transfer hubs for Lufthansa, have seen banks of short and medium haul flights adjusted, while Berlin and Düsseldorf have reported a mix of outright cancellations and long rolling delays.

For travelers who had planned to connect through Germany to other parts of Europe, the situation is particularly difficult. With aircraft displaced and crews approaching duty limits after extended storm operations, airlines are prioritizing a limited number of trunk routes and long haul services, leaving some intra-European city pairs with sparse or no same-day alternatives.

Ground handling resources, including de-icing teams and snow-clearing crews, are also stretched after consecutive days of severe weather.

Amsterdam’s KLM De-icing Shortage Deepens the Crisis

Germany’s problems are being amplified by acute disruption at Amsterdam Schiphol, one of Europe’s key transit hubs and an essential gateway for German-bound traffic.

KLM has canceled roughly 300 flights today from its Amsterdam base, citing a combination of heavy snowfall, persistent strong winds and a growing shortage of the glycol-based de-icing fluid used to treat aircraft before departure.

The airline has been operating its 25 de-icing trucks almost continuously for several days and using around 85,000 liters of fluid per day, but resupply delays from its main provider in Germany have left stocks under pressure.

Executives at the Dutch flag carrier have acknowledged that the shortage introduces a new layer of operational risk beyond the weather itself. If fluid levels drop further, even aircraft that could otherwise depart in marginal conditions may be grounded to ensure safety.

In an unusual step, KLM has dispatched teams by road to Germany to try to secure additional de-icing supplies directly, but the airline has not given firm assurances on how long its current inventory will last. Schiphol, meanwhile, has indicated that runway de-icing supplies are adequate, underscoring that the pinch point lies with the airlines’ own aircraft treatment.

The heavy disruption at Schiphol is rippling across the continent. Many KLM services to and from German cities such as Hamburg, Düsseldorf, Stuttgart and Berlin have been thinned out or consolidated, limiting onward options for passengers rebooked from Lufthansa and its partners.

With more than 600 flights in total canceled or heavily delayed at Amsterdam today and in recent days, seat availability on alternative departures is tight. Travelers seeking same-day reroutes into Germany are encountering full flights, long waits at transfer desks and limited hotel capacity near the airport.

Paris and French Hubs Grapple With Snow and Ice

France is facing a parallel wave of disruption, with airlines including Air France and easyJet cutting services to and from Paris Charles de Gaulle and Orly as snow and freezing rain complicate both ground operations and air traffic management.

A series of weather-related accidents on French roads in recent days has highlighted the severity of the conditions, and aviation authorities have urged carriers to reduce schedules and build in significant buffers for de-icing and runway clearance. Several regional airports in France have also faced temporary closures or capacity reductions as the storm passes through.

For Germany-bound travelers, the knock-on effect from Paris is significant. Air France and its partners operate dense networks linking Paris with German business centers such as Frankfurt, Munich, Stuttgart and Düsseldorf, as well as secondary cities.

Today’s cancellations have cut into that capacity at a time when many passengers displaced from other hubs are seeking alternative options. Interline itineraries that originally routed via Paris and Frankfurt, for instance, now face two layers of vulnerability as both hubs battle weather-related constraints.

At Charles de Gaulle, operational staff have been working to maintain a core schedule of long haul flights while selectively trimming shorter routes. However, de-icing queues remain lengthy, with aircraft often waiting on stands for treatments that can take significantly longer than normal in sub-zero temperatures.

Ground crews face a delicate balancing act: accelerating turnarounds to clear backlogs while ensuring each aircraft is properly de-iced before takeoff to avoid critical safety risks.

UK and Regional Airports: Liverpool Among Affected Gateways

The United Kingdom is also firmly in the storm’s path, with temperatures falling well below freezing in some areas and snow disrupting roads and rail lines. At airports across the country, including smaller but strategically important gateways such as Liverpool, airlines have canceled a number of flights to and from continental Europe, notably services to Amsterdam, Paris and German cities that would usually serve as feeders into wider networks.

Low cost carriers such as easyJet have trimmed schedules to manage the combination of weather and congestion further down the line at already strained mainland hubs.

In Liverpool, the focus has been on short haul links to key European cities. A series of departures to Amsterdam and other hubs were pulled or delayed, leaving passengers with limited same-day rebooking options.

Because Liverpool’s international schedule is narrower than that of larger airports such as Manchester, a cancellation can have an outsized impact, effectively wiping out an entire day’s connectivity on a given route. Many travelers have been advised to reroute via Manchester or London, only to find those airports also dealing with weather-related cuts.

Across the wider UK network, airports and airlines have been coordinating with air traffic control to meter traffic into Europe’s most badly affected hubs. While this approach reduces the risk of airborne holding in difficult conditions, it also means that departures from British cities to Amsterdam, Paris and German destinations can be subject to long ground delays or day-of-flight cancellations at short notice.

Passengers are being urged to check their flight status repeatedly before heading to the airport and to allow extra time for potentially treacherous journeys to and from terminals.

Passenger Experiences: Stranded, Rebooked and Waiting

For travelers caught up in this latest wave of cancellations across Germany and neighboring countries, the experience has been marked by long queues, uncertain timelines and stretched support channels. At Frankfurt and Munich, lines at rebooking desks have snaked through terminals, with some passengers waiting hours for in-person assistance.

Airline call centers and digital channels have also been inundated, occasionally leading to lengthy response times or app outages as demand spikes. Some carriers have advised customers to use self-service tools to request refunds or vouchers where rebooking is not immediately possible.

Accommodation has become another pressure point, particularly at hub airports where hundreds of connecting passengers unexpectedly find themselves needing overnight stays. Hotels near Frankfurt, Amsterdam and Paris report high occupancy levels and rising last-minute rates, complicating airlines’ efforts to provide vouchers or negotiated rooms for disrupted passengers.

Those who can afford to book independently are sometimes forced to travel significant distances from the airport to find available beds, while others attempt to sleep in terminal seating areas as they wait for morning flights.

The situation is especially challenging for families and vulnerable travelers. KLM, for example, has temporarily suspended travel for unaccompanied minors through Amsterdam during the worst of the weather, citing the risk of children becoming stranded in an overburdened hub.

Airlines across Europe are also reminding passengers to beware of scams, after reports in Amsterdam of fraudsters posing as airline staff or customer service contacts and attempting to extract payment information from stranded travelers looking for quick solutions.

How Airlines Are Responding: Schedule Cuts and Flexible Policies

Major carriers have rolled out a mix of proactive cancellations and flexible customer policies to try to stabilize their operations. Lufthansa has focused on preserving core long haul and key European trunk routes from Frankfurt and Munich while scrubbing many regional services, particularly those with lower loads or more complex onward connections.

This strategy allows the airline to concentrate ground resources, such as de-icing crews, on a smaller number of high-priority aircraft, reducing the risk of cascading delays throughout the day.

KLM and Air France have adopted similar tactics at Amsterdam and Paris, preemptively cutting hundreds of flights over several days rather than attempting to operate a full schedule in marginal weather. Both carriers are offering options to rebook within a defined travel window without change fees, request travel vouchers valid for a year, or, in cases of cancelation or long delay, seek refunds for unused tickets and paid extras.

Low cost airline easyJet is also waiving change fees on affected routes and advising customers that seat availability on alternative flights will be limited as long as the storm continues to disrupt European traffic flows.

Behind the scenes, airline network planners are recalibrating aircraft rotations and crew pairings on an almost hourly basis. Aircraft and pilots that should have returned to German bases last night are still scattered across Europe, and restoring those assets to their intended positions requires a sequence of successful flights through volatile weather.

With some forecasts calling for continued snowfall and icy conditions in parts of Germany, the Netherlands and France over the coming days, many carriers are quietly warning that disruption could persist throughout the week even if the weather marginally improves.

Advice for Travelers Heading to or Through Germany

Travel experts advise anyone scheduled to fly to, from or via Germany and its main connecting hubs to monitor conditions closely and to assume that schedules may change with little notice.

Passengers are encouraged to check their airline’s travel alerts page several times in the 24 hours before departure and to enable push notifications in airline apps, which often receive updates before airport information displays.

In many cases, carriers will allow free changes to flights within a specific date range, enabling travelers with flexible plans to move their trips to a later window when conditions are expected to stabilize.

Those who must travel at short notice are being urged to build in extra time at each stage of their journey. This includes leaving earlier than usual for the airport to account for hazardous road conditions or reduced public transport, and allowing additional connection time when routing through heavily affected hubs such as Frankfurt, Munich, Amsterdam or Paris.

Where possible, selecting earlier flights in the day may provide more fallback options if initial services are delayed or canceled, though early morning departures are not immune to de-icing bottlenecks.

Passengers should also prepare for the possibility of overnight stays by carrying essential medications, chargers, a change of clothes and basic toiletries in their hand luggage. With airport shops and restaurants under pressure from crowds, simple steps such as bringing snacks and a reusable water bottle can make long waits more manageable.

Travelers are being reminded to keep receipts for any additional expenses incurred as a result of disruption, as these may be needed later when seeking reimbursement under airline policies or local passenger rights regulations.

FAQ

Q1. Which airlines are most affected by the latest disruptions in Germany and surrounding hubs?
Lufthansa and its regional partners have been hit hard within Germany, while KLM, Air France and easyJet are among the carriers most affected at Amsterdam, Paris and UK airports feeding into German routes.

Q2. How many flights have been canceled in connection with Germany’s air network today?
At least 60 flights linked to German airports have been canceled as part of a broader pattern of schedule cuts across Europe, on top of dozens of earlier cancellations and more than a thousand delays triggered by the winter storm.

Q3. Why is Amsterdam Schiphol playing such a big role in the disruption?
Amsterdam is a major European hub and a key gateway for traffic into and out of Germany. Heavy snow, strong winds and a shortage of aircraft de-icing fluid for KLM have led to hundreds of cancellations there, which in turn limits options for passengers trying to reach German destinations.

Q4. What is causing the de-icing fluid shortage at KLM?
KLM has been de-icing aircraft almost continuously for several days, using tens of thousands of liters of glycol-based fluid every day. Severe weather has increased consumption, while delays in deliveries from its main supplier in Germany have made it difficult to replenish stocks quickly.

Q5. Are Paris airports also seeing flight cancellations to and from Germany?
Yes. Snow and ice in France have prompted Air France and other airlines to cancel a number of flights between Paris and major German cities, reducing capacity for passengers seeking alternative routes around the disruption in Amsterdam and Germany.

Q6. Why are passengers stranded in cities like Liverpool and other regional airports?
Regional airports such as Liverpool rely heavily on a limited number of daily flights to big hubs like Amsterdam and Paris. When those few flights are canceled due to weather and congestion, travelers can be left without workable same-day alternatives, particularly when nearby larger airports are also struggling.

Q7. What options do passengers have if their flight is canceled?
Most airlines are offering free rebooking within a defined date window, as well as the option to request travel vouchers or full refunds if a flight is canceled or significantly delayed. Travelers should check their carrier’s specific disruption policy for eligibility and deadlines.

Q8. Are travelers entitled to compensation under European passenger rights rules?
Under EU regulations, passengers may be entitled to care, assistance and in some cases financial compensation, but extreme weather can qualify as an extraordinary circumstance, which may limit compensation. However, airlines still have obligations around rebooking, refunds and basic support such as meals and accommodation in many situations.

Q9. How long are these disruptions expected to last?
Forecasts suggest that snow, ice and freezing temperatures could continue in parts of Germany, the Netherlands and France for several more days. Even once weather conditions improve, it may take additional time for airlines to reposition aircraft and crews and to work through backlogs of displaced passengers.

Q10. What can travelers do to minimize the risk of being stranded?
Experts recommend regularly checking flight status, enabling airline app notifications, traveling with essential items in hand luggage, and, where possible, choosing flights earlier in the day and allowing generous connection times when routing through heavily affected hubs.