Thousands of passengers across Europe are facing a fresh wave of travel disruption as wintry weather, airspace congestion and operational issues combine to cancel at least 55 flights and delay a further 929 services.

The latest upheaval is hitting major hubs and holiday gateways from London and Paris to Athens, Helsinki and Rhodes, with carriers including British Airways, KLM, Aegean Airlines, Pegasus Airlines, Finnair and several low cost operators forced to trim schedules or operate with extended delays.

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Fresh Day of Disruption Across Europe’s Skies

Data compiled from airport operations and flight tracking platforms on February 1, 2026, show a fragmented but serious pattern of disruption stretching from Scandinavia to the eastern Mediterranean. In the UK, France, the Netherlands, Finland, Greece and Turkey, dozens of flights have been grounded and hundreds more are running behind schedule, affecting both domestic and cross border routes. The cumulative impact is being felt particularly strongly at dense hub airports and popular winter getaway destinations.

At London area airports, a mix of poor visibility, strong crosswinds and knock on crew and aircraft positioning issues has caused cancellations of short haul services and lengthy delays on others. British Airways, easyJet and other carriers are juggling tight turnarounds with weather related constraints and crowded airspace. Passengers at Heathrow, Gatwick and London City airports are reporting extended waiting times at departure gates, as airlines adjust schedules in real time.

In northern Europe, Helsinki Vantaa has again emerged as a pinch point, with Finnair and partner airlines scrubbing or heavily delaying flights after bouts of freezing fog and snow complicated de icing operations and runway usage. Further south, delays at Amsterdam Schiphol and Paris Charles de Gaulle are feeding into the wider network, hampering the efforts of KLM and Air France to maintain reliable connections for transit passengers bound for southern Europe and beyond.

British, KLM, Aegean, Pegasus and Others Under Pressure

The latest figures indicate that full cancellations are relatively limited compared with the scale of delays, but the breadth of airlines affected is striking. British Airways has been forced to cancel a handful of short haul services and reschedule several more, focusing primarily on flights to and from European capitals where slot constraints make last minute changes particularly complex. Crew duty time limits and the need to rotate aircraft through maintenance have compounded the difficulty of restoring normal operations quickly.

KLM is facing particularly intense challenges, as disruptions in multiple regions intersect with its Amsterdam hub. A combination of winter weather patterns and dense schedules has resulted in delayed departures from Schiphol and inbound flights arriving out of sequence, stretching ground handling resources. Each late arriving aircraft has the potential to delay onward connections, compounding the problem for transfer passengers heading to cities such as London, Paris, Helsinki and Athens.

In the eastern Mediterranean, Aegean Airlines and its regional affiliate Olympic Air have seen services to and from Athens and Greek islands slowed by both local weather and upstream disruptions. Pegasus Airlines and other Turkish carriers operating out of Istanbul and resort oriented airports on the Aegean coast have also encountered extended turnaround times, with some flights to central and northern Europe operating hours behind schedule. For leisure travelers returning from winter sun breaks or island getaways, the delays have translated into missed connections and unplanned overnight stays.

Key Airports Hit: London, Paris, Athens, Helsinki, Rhodes and Beyond

While no single airport has fully ground to a halt, a constellation of hubs and regional gateways is experiencing serious strain. At London Heathrow and Gatwick, departure boards on Saturday and Sunday have displayed a dense mix of delayed flights alongside a smaller but visible cluster of cancellations, particularly on shorter routes where airlines can consolidate passengers onto later departures. Queues at rebooking desks and customer service counters have grown steadily through the day as more flights fall behind schedule.

Paris is feeling the effects from two directions. Charles de Gaulle, already one of Europe’s most complex hubs, is managing late running services from the UK, the Netherlands and Scandinavia while also accommodating weather related delays on its own outbound schedule. At Orly, an emergency diversion of a KLM aircraft earlier in the weekend has underscored the operational sensitivity of the region, even though the flight landed safely and was handled according to established emergency procedures.

Athens International Airport and regional Greek airports such as Rhodes and Thessaloniki are contending with a different mix of pressures. Seasonal weather in the Aegean, coupled with congested airways over central Europe, has led to incoming flights landing out of sequence and departing late. This, in turn, disrupts carefully balanced waves of departures to western and northern Europe. Airports in Turkey, including Istanbul and Antalya, are reporting similar knock on effects as delays propagate across tightly scheduled fleets.

Weather, Congestion and Systemic Strain Behind the Numbers

Airline and airport officials point primarily to weather as the trigger for the latest wave of disruptions, particularly in northern Europe where snow, ice and variable winds have complicated runway and ground operations. De icing requirements lengthen turnaround times, while restrictions on runway use reduce the number of takeoffs and landings that can be safely handled in a given hour. In such conditions, even a modest deterioration in weather can quickly push a tightly scheduled network into delay.

However, industry observers note that the scale and spread of delays across multiple countries also reflects deeper structural stresses. High aircraft utilization rates, lean staffing models and persistent shortages in key roles such as air traffic controllers and ground handlers leave the system vulnerable when anything goes wrong. Once a sequence of flights is disrupted at a major hub, aircraft and crews often end up in the wrong place at the wrong time, and recovery can take days rather than hours.

European airspace congestion is another recurring factor. Routes between the UK, Benelux, France, Germany and the Mediterranean traverse some of the busiest corridors in the world. When storms, high altitude winds or temporary airspace restrictions force changes to these paths, flight times can increase, adding further delay. Air traffic control services, already operating near capacity in some regions, then struggle to absorb the extra workload without introducing additional holding patterns and spacing between aircraft.

Passenger Experience: Long Queues, Missed Connections and Confusion

For travelers, the disruption is being felt most keenly in crowded terminals and at departure gates where information can be patchy and subject to rapid change. Passengers at London, Paris and Amsterdam reported waiting in lines for hours to speak to airline staff about rebooking options, hotel vouchers and compensation. Many said that airline apps and websites were slow to update, leaving them uncertain whether to remain at the gate or attempt to rearrange plans themselves.

Transit passengers are particularly vulnerable. A delayed arrival into a hub such as Schiphol or Charles de Gaulle can easily cause a missed onward connection to Athens, Helsinki or Rhodes, even if the second flight departs on time. While airlines generally attempt to rebook affected travelers automatically, limited seat availability on later flights or on alternative carriers can leave people stranded for 24 hours or more, especially on popular weekend or holiday departures.

Families and leisure travelers, often less familiar with their legal rights and with fewer alternative options than business travelers, are among those hardest hit. Without clear guidance, some end up paying out of pocket for hotels, meals or replacement tickets in the hope of reimbursement later. Others face the difficult choice between cutting trips short or arriving significantly later than planned at key events, from weddings and sports fixtures to business meetings and medical appointments.

What Airlines and Airports Are Doing to Respond

Airlines contacted over the weekend have emphasized that safety remains the first priority and that flights will not be operated in conditions deemed unsafe by flight crews or air traffic control. Where cancellations are unavoidable, carriers are attempting to consolidate passengers onto remaining services, operate larger aircraft on some routes where possible, and open additional customer service channels including call centers and social media support teams.

At major hubs, airport operators are coordinating closely with airlines and ground handling firms to prioritize de icing, gate assignments and baggage handling for delayed services. Extra staff have been deployed in some terminals to help manage queues and direct passengers to rebooking points, hotels or ground transport. Information screens and public announcements are being updated frequently, although the speed at which conditions change can still leave gaps in communication.

Industry analysts suggest that the current wave of disruption will once again test the resilience measures introduced after the severe travel chaos of recent years. Investments in digital tools, including more accurate disruption forecasting, automated rebooking systems and real time passenger messaging, are being put to the test as carriers attempt to keep customers informed and moving in extremely fluid conditions.

Know Your Rights: Compensation and Care for Delayed Travelers

Under long standing European rules, many passengers whose flights are cancelled or significantly delayed may be entitled to care, rerouting and in some cases financial compensation. Regulations covering flights departing from the European Union, Iceland, Norway and several neighboring jurisdictions require airlines to provide meals, refreshments and accommodation when passengers are stranded for extended periods, except in certain extraordinary circumstances such as severe weather or air traffic control strikes.

Compensation rules are more complex and often depend on factors including the length of the delay on arrival, the distance of the flight and the underlying cause of the disruption. If the airline can demonstrate that a delay or cancellation was caused solely by extraordinary circumstances outside its control and that all reasonable measures were taken to avoid the disruption, cash compensation might not be owed, although care and assistance obligations can still apply.

Consumer advocates recommend that passengers keep boarding passes, booking confirmations and receipts for any out of pocket expenses such as meals, transport and hotels. Travelers should submit claims directly to the airline first, using official web forms or customer service channels, and only turn to third party claim firms if necessary. For complex or disputed cases, national enforcement bodies and consumer rights organizations may be able to provide guidance.

FAQ

Q1: How many flights are affected by the latest wave of disruptions in Europe?
At least 55 flights have been cancelled and around 929 services delayed across several European countries, including the UK, Finland, Greece, Turkey and others, with the precise numbers fluctuating throughout the day as airlines update their schedules.

Q2: Which airlines are most impacted right now?
Major carriers facing disruption include British Airways, KLM, Finnair, Aegean Airlines, Pegasus Airlines and several low cost operators, alongside other European flag carriers whose networks intersect at hubs such as London, Paris, Amsterdam, Helsinki and Athens.

Q3: What are the main causes of today’s flight cancellations and delays?
The primary triggers are adverse winter weather, including snow, ice and low visibility, combined with congested airspace and operational pressures such as crew and aircraft being out of position after earlier disruptions.

Q4: Which airports should travelers in Europe be most concerned about?
Passengers should pay close attention to updates if they are traveling through London area airports, Paris Charles de Gaulle and Orly, Amsterdam Schiphol, Helsinki Vantaa, Athens International Airport and popular leisure gateways like Rhodes and major Turkish coastal airports.

Q5: How can I check if my flight is affected?
Travelers should monitor their airline’s official app or website, sign up for text or email alerts linked to their booking, and cross check information with airport departure and arrival boards. In rapidly changing situations, refreshing these sources frequently is essential.

Q6: If my flight is cancelled, what are my basic rights?
If your flight departing from an EU or associated country is cancelled, you are generally entitled to a choice between a refund of the unused ticket and rerouting at the earliest opportunity or at a later date, along with care such as meals and accommodation when necessary, regardless of the cause of the cancellation.

Q7: Am I always entitled to financial compensation for a long delay?
No. Cash compensation usually depends on the length of the delay on arrival, the distance of the flight and whether the cause is considered within the airline’s control. Severe weather and some air traffic control issues are often classified as extraordinary circumstances, which can exempt airlines from paying compensation even though they must still provide care.

Q8: What should I do at the airport if my flight status keeps changing?
Stay close to your gate or within earshot of announcements, keep your phone charged, and regularly refresh your airline’s app or website. If your delay becomes extensive, approach airline staff or designated service desks to ask about meal vouchers, hotel accommodation and rebooking options.

Q9: How can I minimize the impact of disruptions on a connecting journey?
When possible, allow longer connection times, especially in winter, and consider booking through one airline or alliance so that a single carrier is responsible for your itinerary. If you miss a connection because of a delay on an earlier leg, contact the airline immediately to secure a confirmed seat on the next available flight.

Q10: Is it better to rebook online or speak to someone in person?
Using an airline’s app or website is often the fastest way to secure a new itinerary, particularly when call centers and airport desks are overwhelmed. However, if digital tools are not offering workable options or you have special requirements, seeking help at a staffed desk or via a call center may still be necessary.