Severe winter weather has unleashed a wave of flight disruptions across Europe, with fresh figures showing 24 flights terminated outright and 325 delayed in France, Italy and the Netherlands in a single recent 24 hour period.

Flag carrier Air France, Dutch group KLM and low cost operator easyJet have been among the airlines hardest hit as snow, ice and high winds challenge airport operations and strain already fragile winter schedules.

For passengers, the result has been missed connections, overnight airport stays and complex rebooking battles stretching into several days.

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Weather Systems Behind the Latest Wave of Disruptions

The latest round of cancellations and delays is part of a broader pattern of extreme winter conditions that has gripped much of Western and Northern Europe since the start of January 2026. A series of Arctic blasts and named winter storms have pushed temperatures well below seasonal averages and brought heavy snowfall to low lying regions in France, the Benelux countries and parts of Italy. Meteorologists have pointed to a combination of moist Atlantic systems colliding with cold continental air, producing persistent bands of snow and freezing rain over key aviation corridors.

In practical terms, the weather has created precisely the scenarios airlines and airports fear most. Prolonged snow showers have forced repeated runway closures for clearing operations, while sub zero temperatures have significantly increased the demand for aircraft de icing. Strong crosswinds and reduced visibility have narrowed the range of operational runways at already busy hubs, limiting the number of arrivals and departures that can safely be handled each hour. As traffic controllers impose flow restrictions to maintain safety margins, airlines have little choice but to trim parts of their schedule.

What sets this episode apart is its geographic scope. Instead of being confined to one corner of the continent, the same weather pattern has simultaneously disrupted traffic in northern France, the Low Countries and parts of northern and central Italy. That has left carriers like Air France, KLM and easyJet dealing with bottlenecks not only at their home bases but also at important outstations. With aircraft and crews frequently out of position, even routes unaffected by snow on a given day have still seen knock on delays.

Key Airports Affected in France, Italy and the Netherlands

In France, the greatest pressure has fallen on the Paris area as winter weather piled on top of already busy January schedules. Charles de Gaulle and Orly have both seen periods of heavy delay, with certain hours where runway capacity was temporarily reduced while snowplows worked and de icing queues built up. Regional airports in northern and western France have also experienced intermittent closures, forcing diversions and leaving some domestic passengers stranded far from their intended destination.

The Netherlands, and Amsterdam Schiphol in particular, have been at the epicenter of several of the most serious disruption days. Schiphol, one of Europe’s largest transfer hubs and KLM’s primary base, has recorded days with hundreds of cancellations when snow and gale force winds coincided. On some days this month, the airport’s runway system has been operated at significantly reduced capacity for safety reasons, pushing airlines to cancel segments in advance in order to prevent gridlock on the day of operation.

Italy has been dealing with its own weather related operational headaches. Northern hubs and busy city airports have experienced bouts of snow and freezing rain that are particularly disruptive given infrastructure designed for milder winters. At times, Italian airports have had to limit movements because of runway contamination and limited de icing equipment, creating ripple effects across domestic routes and into the wider European network. For easyJet, which operates numerous point to point services into Italian cities from bases across Europe, these localized problems have combined with disruptions further north to create complex network wide challenges.

How Air France, KLM and EasyJet Are Managing the Crisis

Air France has adopted a strategy of targeted pre emptive cancellations on days when forecasts indicate that Paris and regional French airports will be affected by snow or freezing rain. By trimming parts of the schedule in advance, the carrier aims to reduce the number of passengers stranded on the day, while still protecting key intercontinental and connecting flights. The airline has also urged customers with non essential travel to consider voluntary rebooking when severe weather alerts are issued, in order to spread demand away from the worst affected windows.

KLM, facing some of the toughest conditions at Amsterdam Schiphol, has repeatedly emphasized safety and operational stability in its decisions. The airline has described instances where it has cancelled large numbers of flights in order to match schedules to the reduced capacity available at the airport and to ensure there are enough crews and aircraft to operate the remaining flights reliably. A major focus has been on maintaining long haul services and essential feeder routes, even if that means cutting frequencies or temporarily suspending some shorter point to point sectors on the worst days.

EasyJet, which runs a highly utilized low cost network with tight turnaround times, has faced the difficult task of rebuilding its rotations when early morning weather issues quickly cascade into afternoon and evening delays. The airline has used a combination of selective cancellations, aircraft swaps and re routing to keep as many flights operating as possible. However, the dispersed nature of its bases in France, Italy and the Netherlands means that a storm centered on one country can still create shortages of aircraft and crew in another, forcing last minute adjustments that passengers feel in the form of rolling departure time changes.

The Numbers Behind the 24 Terminated and 325 Delayed Flights

The figure of 24 terminated flights and 325 delayed across France, Italy and the Netherlands reflects official operational data gathered over a concentrated 24 hour window during one of the most recent severe weather days. Terminated flights are those that were cancelled outright or forced to return to their point of origin without reaching their intended destination, while the delayed flights recorded experienced departure or arrival times significantly beyond their published schedules.

Although those numbers may look small when compared with continent wide statistics released for some of the worst winter days, they are deeply disruptive in practice because of where and when they occurred. Many of the affected flights were short haul services connecting key hubs such as Paris Charles de Gaulle and Amsterdam Schiphol with secondary cities in France, Italy and neighboring countries. When these sectors are removed or heavily delayed, passengers miss onward connections, and long haul aircraft can end up departing with dozens of empty seats reserved for travelers still stuck in snow bound airports.

The delays themselves have often stretched beyond the one or two hours many travelers expect during winter weather. On the heaviest impact days, average departure delays at some airports have climbed to well over half an hour, with a long tail of flights experiencing waits of three hours or more. For passengers, the distinction between a long delay and an outright cancellation can feel academic by the time overnight accommodation and next day rebooking becomes necessary.

What Affected Passengers Are Entitled To Under EU Rules

For travelers caught up in the disruption, one of the most pressing questions is what compensation or assistance they can expect. Under European Union Regulation 261, airlines operating flights from EU airports, or to the EU on EU carriers, are required to provide care and, in some circumstances, financial compensation when flights are cancelled or heavily delayed. However, winter storms and severe weather can complicate the picture because they are usually classified as extraordinary circumstances, which can exempt airlines from paying cash compensation.

Even when compensation is not owed because the root cause is truly beyond the airline’s control, carriers still have clear obligations. Passengers whose flights are cancelled or who are denied boarding against their will are generally entitled to a choice between a refund of the unused ticket portion, re routing to their final destination at the earliest opportunity, or travel at a later date under comparable conditions. During long waits at the airport, airlines must also provide care in the form of meals and refreshments, access to communications, and hotel accommodation if an overnight stay is required due to the disruption.

The precise entitlements can depend on the distance of the flight and the length of the delay, and claims often need to be backed up with boarding passes and booking confirmations. Travelers on Air France, KLM and easyJet services affected by recent disruptions are being advised by passenger rights organizations to keep careful records of their actual arrival time, any written communications from the airline, and receipts for reasonable out of pocket expenses such as meals bought when vouchers were not provided. While compensation may not always be due for weather related events, reimbursement for properly documented expenses and unused segments often is.

Practical Steps Passengers Should Take Right Now

For those currently facing delays or cancellations in France, Italy or the Netherlands, the first and most critical step is to verify the real time status of their flight using the airline’s official channels rather than relying solely on third party apps or airport screens. Air France, KLM and easyJet all maintain dedicated disruption and travel alert pages where the latest information is posted, and many passengers have had success managing rebooking through airline mobile apps even when airport service desks are overwhelmed by queues.

Passengers who are still at home or in their hotel and have not yet left for the airport may be able to save hours of frustration by confirming that their flight is operating before departing. If a cancellation or severe delay has already been flagged, using online self service tools to request re routing or a travel date change can often secure better options than waiting until arrival at a crowded terminal. Some travelers have reported that call center wait times spike sharply on major disruption days, but that social media messaging and app based chat can sometimes provide faster responses.

At the airport itself, travelers should prioritize speaking to their operating airline rather than codeshare partners, as only the carrier actually running the flight can generally issue boarding passes and make same day changes. It is also essential to hold on to all documents, including baggage tags, in case of mishandled luggage claims after enforced re routing. Where overnight stays become necessary, passengers should clarify with the airline in writing whether hotel and transfer costs will be covered directly or whether they need to pay up front and seek reimbursement later.

How the Disruptions Could Evolve in the Coming Days

Weather forecasters indicate that while the most intense snow and wind episodes may ease at times, Europe remains vulnerable to further blasts of Arctic air and Atlantic low pressure systems throughout the rest of January. That means the pattern of periodic severe disruption days, punctuated by windows of relatively smooth operations, is likely to continue. Air France, KLM and easyJet are monitoring forecasts closely and adjusting capacity on routes most exposed to winter weather, but none can fully escape the operational constraints imposed by icy runways and de icing bottlenecks.

One key uncertainty is how quickly airports and ground handling companies can rebuild margins in their schedules and staffing after the current wave of disruptions. Extended periods of irregular operations can leave aircraft in the wrong places, consume reserve crews and create maintenance backlogs that take days to clear even after the weather improves. Passengers may therefore continue to see knock on delays and minor timetable adjustments long after the skies have cleared over Paris, Amsterdam or Milan.

For travelers planning journeys in the next one to two weeks, the practical takeaway is to build additional slack into itineraries that involve connecting flights through affected hubs, and to remain flexible where possible on travel dates and times. Avoiding tight connections on separate tickets, allowing extra time for ground transfers in wintry conditions, and staying closely tuned to airline communications can significantly reduce the risk that a Europe wide cold snap turns a long anticipated trip into a full blown travel nightmare.