Winter storms snarled air travel across parts of Europe this week, forcing hundreds of flight cancellations and leaving thousands of passengers stranded as snow, ice and strong winds swept through the region.
At Amsterdam Schiphol Airport, one of Europe’s busiest transit hubs, over 500 flights were canceled, according to flight-tracking website FlightAware, with more disruptions expected throughout the day. The Guardian reported that more than 1,000 travelers spent the night inside the terminal, where the airport set up camp beds and provided breakfast for passengers unable to leave.
Dutch carrier KLM, Schiphol’s main operator, said Tuesday it would cancel about 600 flights on Wednesday, Jan. 7, alone as freezing temperatures and snow continued to complicate operations. So far, 69% of the airline's schedule is canceled. Thousands of flights have been scrapped at the airport since Friday.
According to FlightAware, more than half of departing flights from Schiphol were canceled, along with nearly half of inbound flights as of 6:30 a.m. ET.
The storm system also disrupted travel in France. Over 100 flights were canceled Wednesday morning at Charles de Gaulle Airport. Bus services in and around Paris were suspended due to icy roads, though most metro and regional rail lines remained operational.
