Amsterdam airport sees mass flight cancellations as ice and snow cause travel chaos

A third of one million passengers traveling to and from Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport – including tens of thousands from the UK – have had their flights canceled due to the extremely cold weather.

In the UK, Met Office Sent Amber and Yellow Weather Alerts Snow and ice covered almost all of Britain. Hundreds of thousands of travelers faced another day of disrupted travel due to bad weather and technical glitches. There are cancellations and delays on the Great West Coast and East Coast intercity lines.

Here’s everything you need to know.

air travel

For leaflets, public Flights to and from Amsterdam canceled Schiphol Airport is in its fifth day due to snow and ice. Dozens of flights between Dutch hubs and UK airports KLM Canceled again – including flights to and from Aberdeen, Birmingham, Edinburgh, Heathrow, Humberside, Inverness, Leeds Bradford, City of London, Manchester, Newcastle, Norwich and Teesside.

The airport said: “Due to the ongoing winter weather, air traffic to and from Schiphol is limited. Our snow removal crews are working around the clock to keep the runway clear and aircraft are being carefully de-iced to ensure everyone can travel safely.

“However, the cold weather is expected to cause disruption to flight schedules over the coming days.”

The airport added lightly: “This may result in flight delays and cancellations.”

Flight tracking website Flightradar24 calculated that a third of flights in Amsterdam were canceled on Tuesday. It added: “This number is expected to rise to 50-60% throughout the day.”

171 flights scheduled for Wednesday have been grounded. In total, some 2,500 flights have been canceled since Friday, affecting at least a third of a million passengers.

The Dutch airline told passengers: “Flights at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport are disrupted due to severe winter weather, including snowfall and strong winds. We know this may be stressful for you, but we are doing everything we can to help you travel again.”

For some smaller UK airports, flights to Amsterdam are the only international flights that day.

British Airways Four flights between Heathrow and Amsterdam have been canceled so far.

While the only cancellations by easyJet in the UK so far are return flights from Edinburgh, many flights are severely delayed. The 6.15am flight from London Gatwick to Amsterdam is now expected to depart at 1.45pm, more than seven hours late.

Under the Air Passenger Rights Rules, passengers whose flights are canceled or severely delayed are entitled to travel to their destination on any airline as soon as possible and receive meals and hotel services before arriving at their destination.

Anyone arriving in Amsterdam will find that their problems have only just begun. Dutch Railways only provides an approximate timetable and warns passengers: “Please take into account additional travel times, more frequent changes and crowded trains.

“Are you going to travel abroad? Leave early and plan more time.”

rail travel

It’s been a chaotic day so far for passengers traveling between the west of England, south Wales, Heathrow and London Paddington. As the morning rush hour begins, National Rail warns of damage to overhead power lines west of London Paddington, causing severe disruption to trains on the Elizabeth Line, Heathrow Express and GWR networks.

By early afternoon, the situation had deteriorated. National Rail said: “A freight train broke down outside Reading station, causing further disruption to journeys. Currently, all trains are unable to run between London Paddington and Reading until the freight train is moved.”

Dozens of trains have been cancelled, including many intercity services to and from Bristol Temple Meads and Cardiff Central. Delays in moving trains lasted up to an hour.

National Rail warned that disruption was expected to last until “the end of the day” on Tuesday.

On the East Coast Main Line, Lanna Passengers are warned to “postpone travel between Edinburgh, Leeds and London King’s Cross on Tuesday 6 January until further notice”.

The railway linking Scotland, northeast England, Yorkshire and London’s King’s Cross station was paralyzed on Monday due to a broken track. LNER warned: “The severity of this disruption has resulted in a fleet imbalance.”

Morpeth’s loss of points sparked further confusion. Many trains have been cancelled, including many LNER trains to London from Edinburgh, Newcastle and Yorkshire, as well as some cross-country services. Grand Central, Hull Train and Lumo services are all experiencing delays.

ScotRail trains on major routes in the north of the country have been canceled due to heavy and drifting snow:

The problems in north-west England go far beyond that. Northern warned that some trains were out of service for repairs and services between Manchester Piccadilly and Alderley Edge were cancelled.

The Merseyrail network, which connects Liverpool, Chester and other locations, was disrupted, with multiple cancellations on all lines.

In the West Midlands, more damage was caused when a wartime bomb was discovered near Birmingham New Street Railway.

the way

Roads in northern Scotland have been severely damaged. The A887 route north-west of Loch Ness is blocked by a fallen tree, while many other routes are only passable with extreme caution. transport scotland The A939, which connects Nairn on the Moray Coast to the Grampians Mountains, is closed.

In west Wales, the A487, the main north-south road, was blocked by an overturned vehicle near Machynlleth. The A474 in south Wales and the A494 in mid Wales are also blocked.

Higher roads in Cheshire, Staffordshire and Derbyshire are treacherous due to ice and snow.

Motorists traveling to Dover are warned that the Round Hill Tunnel on the A20 is closed due to a diesel leak. Anyone who misses their ferry to France will be rebooked on the next available flight.

Read more: What are your rights to compensation for a canceled or delayed flight?