Over 700 flights already canceled at Schiphol Airport on sixth day of winter chaos
Today marks the sixth consecutive day of snowy winter weather in the Netherlands, and also the sixth day of mass cancellations at Schiphol Airport. By 7:45 a.m., the airport already reported 718 canceled flights for Wednesday. Stranded travelers are hopeless.
The KNMI expects up to 10 centimeters of snow in some places in the Netherlands today and has issued a code orange weather warning for almost the entire country, including Noord-Holland, where Schiphol is located. “On Wednesday, due to persistent winter weather and heavy winds, only limited air traffic is possible to and from Schiphol,” the airport warned.
By 7:45 a.m., airlines at the airport have already canceled 363 departing and 355 arriving flights. Eleven departures and 56 arrivals are delayed. The problems are piling up as more and more passengers need to be rebooked.
“Our flight on Sunday was canceled,” a woman told NOS on Tuesday. “When we were told to go to the airport, we went. Yesterday morning, we were sent away again. We ended up coming back. And we’ve been waiting here ever since. We had to sleep here, too. We haven’t slept a wink.”
“I have to go to my mother’s funeral in the United States,” said a man who was trying to get a flight for the third day in a row. “They’re waiting for me to get there, but now I wonder if I’ll ever make it.”
Another man has been at Schiphol since Monday. “We arrived here around 4:00 p.m.,” he told the broadcaster on Tuesday morning. “Around 7:00 p.m., we were told: there’s no flight. We had no choice but to stay here. We spent the night on a chair in the corner somewhere. It was freezing.”
He is not the only passenger who is sleeping at Schiphol. A few hundred passengers are unable to leave the airport because they lack a visa. Schiphol placed beds for them and arranged food. In total, over a thousand people spent last night at Schiphol.
On Wednesday, Schiphol urged travelers to check the status of their flight before leaving for the airport. “Is your flight cancelled before you travel to the airport? Please don’t come to the airport. Are you at the airport when your flight is cancelled? Please leave the airport and make your way back home or to an alternative stay. For more information, contact your airline,” Schiphol said.
