Europe’s air travel network faced a perfect storm of disruption on February 15 and 16, 2026, as snowstorms and labor action collided to create chaos for hundreds of thousands of travelers. From Amsterdam to Frankfurt, Paris to London, airports struggled to keep up as weather and strikes forced the cancellation of more than 700 flights and delayed over 5,000, according to reporting by multiple European outlets.
It all began with a band of snow sweeping east across Benelux and into Germany, as noted by Eurocontrol, the European air traffic management organization. The impact was immediate and severe: Amsterdam Schiphol Airport, one of the continent’s busiest hubs, saw approximately half its scheduled flights for Sunday either delayed or cancelled. By 6:30 p.m. CET, airlines operating at Schiphol had cancelled 119 departures and 98 arrivals, with delays affecting hundreds more flights. KLM, the Dutch flag carrier and Schiphol’s largest operator, was hit especially hard, with 147 cancelled flights and 102 delays, mostly on short-haul routes within the Schengen area.
Schiphol wasn’t alone. Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport implemented a 30% reduction in flights, with 196 cancellations reported across France. Paris Orly cut 20% of its flights, and other French airports followed suit as snow and ice blanketed the Île-de-France region. Even though Paris itself escaped the worst of the accumulation, outlying areas like Yvelines and Seine-et-Marne saw up to 5 centimeters of snow, making roads and runways treacherous. “Heavy delays are expected,” warned Schiphol Airport officials, as cited by Eurocontrol, which asked airlines to cancel about 60 percent of flight movements between 5 p.m. and midnight on February 15.
In the United Kingdom, London Heathrow and Gatwick airports experienced significant delays and cancellations, with British Airways cancelling 17 flights and delaying 211, while easyJet delayed 521 flights and cancelled 22. The snowstorm forced airport authorities to reduce operations and even restrict the movement of heavy trucks on airport grounds. The knock-on effects rippled outward, affecting connections across Europe and beyond.
Germany’s major air travel arteries were also severely tested. Munich Airport reported 233 delayed flights and 9 cancellations, with Frankfurt International facing 10 cancellations and 126 delays. Lufthansa, the country’s largest airline, was dealt a double blow: not only did it have to contend with the snow, but on February 16, a strike by pilots and cabin crew grounded about 800 flights, affecting roughly 100,000 passengers. The strike, as reported by Reuters and DW, left travelers stranded or rerouted across Frankfurt, Munich, and other key hubs.
“About 800 flights were cancelled as pilots and cabin crew walked out, leaving roughly 100,000 passengers stuck or rerouted across Frankfurt, Munich and other hubs,” noted Meyka AI PTY LTD in its research summary. The timing couldn’t have been worse for British families traveling during the February half-term, as UK trips routing via Frankfurt and Munich faced particular risk. The strike’s effects spilled over to Budapest, Vienna, Zurich, and other city pairs in Central Europe, with missed connections and aircraft rotations creating a domino effect of delays.
Lufthansa Cargo reported that its freighter operations remained largely stable, but the loss of passenger flights removed vital belly capacity for goods across Europe. This squeeze on supply chains was especially acute for perishables and express shipments. Shippers were warned to expect firmer spot rates on short-haul routes where belly space was now scarce, though normalisation was expected once aircraft and crews returned to their regular schedules later in the week.
Travelers caught in the mess were advised to stay flexible and proactive. According to guidance from European air passenger rights regulations, those whose flights were cancelled were entitled to a refund or a reroute at the earliest reasonable opportunity. Airlines also owed care, including meals and accommodation when necessary. As one advisory put it, “If a connection is cancelled, ask to reroute via partner hubs such as Zurich, Vienna or Warsaw. For flights to Budapest, seek nonstops where possible.” Passengers were reminded to keep receipts for meals and hotels if stranded, as reasonable costs may be claimable.
Even as the snow began to taper off, the disruption lingered. Schiphol Airport had already cancelled 31 arriving flights and 9 departures for Monday, February 16, with more delays expected. Eurocontrol cautioned that breezy conditions, scattered showers, hail, and thunderstorms could follow the snow, threatening further chaos across the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Luxembourg, and coastal regions of Ireland and the UK. Dutch motor association ANWB warned of slippery road conditions overnight and into the morning, though road traffic was more affected by roadworks than by the weather itself. The Dutch national railway NS also anticipated delays due to issues near Amsterdam Bijlmer and a switch failure between Utrecht and Leiden, adding about 15 minutes to passenger journeys.
For investors and airline industry watchers, the weekend’s events provided a stark reminder of the fragility of Europe’s interconnected travel network. The strike’s impact on Lufthansa and its peers went beyond lost ticket revenue. As noted by Meyka AI PTY LTD, “Lost revenue from cancellations sits alongside duty of care costs and potential compensation. Protection inventory can dilute yields on remaining seats, while rival carriers may see short term fare strength on overlapping routes.” Online travel agencies, meanwhile, saw a spike in searches but also faced higher refund processing and call center loads. The industry was urged to keep an eye on schedule completion rates, on-time performance, and any guidance updates from listed carriers with German exposure, as well as to monitor booking curves into Easter and the potential for further industrial action in Germany.
Passengers, for their part, were told to brace for continued uncertainty. “Schedules often stabilize over the next one to two days, but morning banks can see residual delays,” one travel expert explained. The best advice? Check flight status frequently, consider flexible tickets or longer connections, and use travel insurance and credit card protections where available. Patience and preparation, it seems, were the order of the day.
As Europe’s airports and airlines worked to clear backlogs and restore normalcy, the events of February 15 and 16 served as a vivid illustration of how swiftly winter weather and labor unrest can bring an entire continent’s travel plans to a halt.
