Airlines cancel 60% of Schiphol Airport flights ahead of snowy Wednesday forecast
With a new round of snowfall expected to hit the Netherlands on Wednesday, airlines proactively cancelled more than 610 flights to and from Schiphol Airport. It will mark the sixth consecutive time that hundreds of flights are cancelled at Schiphol, with cancellations since Friday now approaching 3,000 in total.
Airlines cancelled 327 out of 545 departures set for Wednesday, as well as 313 of the 539 scheduled flights to the airport outside of Amsterdam. That is equivalent to a cancellation rate of about 60 percent.
More could also be cut, as airlines were asked in advance to cancel 70 percent of their scheduled flights in and out of Schiphol from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m., with heavy restrictions on flight movements expected the entire day. Up to 4 centimeters of snow will accumulate at the airport during the morning hours, and 2 more centimeters may fall in the afternoon, according to European air traffic center Eurocontrol.
Additionally, there is a looming threat that de-icing services will no longer be possible. Dutch airline KLM handles most of the de-icing operations at Schiphol Airport. The airline said earlier in the day it was running low on its supply of de-icing liquid, a mix of warm water and glycol, as the service has run constantly since Friday.
It is unlikely aircraft will be permitted to depart if KLM cannot obtain more liquid from its German suppliers. That jeopardizes the ability to handle scheduled flights landing at Schiphol due to space limitations.
About 55 percent of the 1,108 scheduled flights to and from Schiphol were cancelled on Tuesday, including 298 outbound flights, and 316 inbound flights. Nearly all of the remaining flights faced a wide range of delays.
Schiphol asked passengers waiting at the airport to leave the facility once they learn there flight has been cancelled. An airport spokesperson told NL Times earlier in the day that they had not decided whether to set up cots and rest areas inside the airport.
Hundreds of passengers stranded when changing plans slept at Schiphol on Monday night, including individuals who were allowed to transit through the airport, but not enter the Netherlands. A spokesperson told ANP they are trying to sort out assistance for this group. "Schiphol is working with the airlines to help stranded travelers with food and drinks. We are also distributing pillows and blankets," the spokesperson said.
Dutch meteorological service KNMI has most of the country on a Code Orange weather warning for snow and icy conditions Wednesday morning, with the period before and after under a less-severe Code Yellow alert. "A widespread snow event across the Benelux countries and France during the morning is expected to cause significant operational disruption," Eurocontrol wrote in its plan for Wednesday.
Schiphol should expect "heavy or prolonged snow and severe icing," Eurocontrol said, with needs for "intensive de-icing and runway clearing. Very high delays predicted for inbound and outbound flights."
