Severe winter weather has brought widespread travel chaos across Europe, with hundreds of flights cancelled and at least six people killed. Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport has been particularly hard hit, cancelling around 2,500 flights since last Friday, while Paris and Manchester airports also face significant disruptions.
Amsterdam Schiphol Airport continued mass cancellations for a fifth consecutive day on Tuesday, with approximately 700 flights grounded on Monday alone – representing more than half of scheduled departures. Dutch airline KLM cancelled around 70 flights between Amsterdam and UK airports including Aberdeen, Birmingham, Edinburgh, Heathrow, and Manchester. The airport warned passengers that snow and ice conditions would cause further disruptions in coming days.
«Due to persistent winter weather, only limited air traffic is possible to and from Schiphol,» the airport stated on Tuesday. «Our snow crews are working around the clock to keep the runways clear, and aircraft are being carefully de-iced to ensure everyone can travel safely.»
Manchester Airport reported it was operating as usual despite five flight cancellations on Monday morning. Three flights to Amsterdam were cancelled due to conditions at Schiphol, alongside flights to Belfast and Aberdeen. A spokesperson advised passengers to allow extra time for travel as roads and public transport were affected by the weather.
Paris airports hit hard
Paris's Charles de Gaulle and Orly airports cancelled approximately 180 flights on Wednesday morning. Around 140 flights were grounded at Charles de Gaulle, with a further 40 at Orly. French Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot ordered speed restrictions of 80km/h on Paris roads after a record-breaking 1,000km traffic jam formed in the capital.
France's national weather service placed 38 districts on orange alert for snow and black ice on Wednesday, with authorities warning people to minimize road travel and work from home where possible.
Six fatalities reported
The severe weather has claimed six lives across Europe. Five people died in France due to treacherous driving conditions – three in the Landes region in southwest France, and two in motor accidents in the Paris area. One person was killed when a taxi plunged into the Marne river after hitting a curb in east Paris.
In Sarajevo, Bosnia, a woman died on Monday after a tree heavy with wet snow fell on her. The city received 16 inches of snowfall.
Rail and road disruption
Train services faced widespread cancellations across the Netherlands, UK, and France. All Dutch train services stopped temporarily on Tuesday morning due to an IT outage compounded by weather conditions. Eurostar services between Amsterdam and Paris were either cancelled or running late.
In Scotland, trains on key northern lines including Aberdeen-Dundee and Aberdeen-Inverness were cancelled Monday morning due to heavy and drifting snow. Several major roads closed across northern Scotland, Wales, and England due to ice and snow conditions.
Storm Francis batters southern Spain
While northern Europe battled snow and ice, southern Spain faced flooding from Storm Francis. Nearly 500 families were evacuated from their homes in Cadiz and Malaga after torrential rainfall. Some areas recorded 250 litres per square metre within 24 hours.
Resident Clara Maria Moya told local outlet Malaga Hoy: «The choice came down to leaving or drowning outright. My house has a meter and a half of water inside.»
Two people were killed in Andalusia flood-related incidents in recent days. Spain's weather agency issued cold weather warnings forecasting snow and freezing conditions across the country.
Note: This article was created with Artificial Intelligence (AI).