Storm Poly affecting hundreds of flights at Schiphol; NL-Alert issued for Noord-Holland
Airlines operating at Schiphol Airport cancelled over 300 flights to and from the Amsterdam area on Wednesday as a result of Storm Poly. The number of delayed flights and cancellations was likely to rise even higher as the storm develops throughout the morning. The Dutch government distributed three NL-Alert bulletins to everyone located in the Province of Noord-Holland around 9 a.m., with messages sent in both Dutch and English.
The airport is also located within the province. "Extreme weather in the province of Noord-Holland. Stay indoors. Only call the emergency number 112 in a life threatening situation," the warning stated. Wind gusts of up to 120 kilometers per hour were predicted for much of the country, with gusts of up to 90 kilometers per hour expected in the south.
The airport's website was intermittently difficult to reach on Wednesday morning. Schiphol Airport already issued a warning on Tuesday that the weather would likely cause delays and cancellations, with more than 200 flights cancelled in anticipation of the storm by KLM alone. "A combination of strong gusts of wind, rain and poor visibility is expected on Wednesday 5 July. The most recent weather picture means that very limited air traffic will be possible between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. This means there will be cancellations and delays, for both arriving and departing flights," the airport said in a statement.
European air traffic control organization Eurocontrol said in an update just before 8 a.m. that "high delays" were likely, with arriving flights regulated due to wind conditions. In the most recent NOTAM bulletin to pilots, the air traffic control situation for the area including Schiphol Airport was not expected to return to normal operations until 5 p.m. "Airlines are strongly urged to cancel flights accordingly," the bulletin stated.
The first five arriving flights landed relatively on schedule at Eindhoven Airport, with only two other flights later in the morning delayed. A few departing flights had delays of up to about 30 minutes.
There were also no significant delays at Rotterdam The Hague Airport. British Airways cancelled roundtrip pairing between the regional airport and London City.
The only departure set for Maastricht Aachen Airport on Wednesday morning took off on time. There were no announced delays regarding the two departing flights and arriving flights scheduled for the afternoon and evening.
